


PMD: Saviours of Hope

by Candlewick6969



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Adventure, Rescue Teams | Exploration Teams (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon), Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29398794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candlewick6969/pseuds/Candlewick6969
Summary: After a watery death, a human-turned-Mudkip is left with a paralysing fear of the liquid. Stuck in a new world, with few memories; the Pokemon must overcome many challenges and work together with new friends, forming a rescue team and bringing hope back to a world which is steadily losing it.
Kudos: 23





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya!
> 
> So I have been working on this story over on FFN. I haven't written anything before, outside of college and school assignments, so expect this to be quite poorly written - I would be eternally grateful for any tips or criticisms.
> 
> I am trying to stick to an update schedule of every Wednesday, however if I am early or late by a day or two, please don't murder me.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> -Candlewick

"I'm afraid you're just no longer necessary at this company."

Henry was having a bad day

He should have known from the moment he woke up, that this was just going to be one of those days; a leak in the ceiling had spoken leagues of what was to come. Follow that up with no hot water, no food for breakfast, a bitingly cold day, and now this. Redundancy.

"With respect Mr Partridge" He said, fighting to keep his voice level "I have worked here for two years now, surely you can't be needing me gone already?"

Mr Partridge eyed Henry from the other side of a large ornate desk. It was almost entirely empty, aside from a stack of papers and a large plaque at the front of the desk, reading ' _Nicholas Partridge'_. Mr Partridge, himself, was a large man in his early 50s, almost as wide as he was tall. He was nearly entirely bald and had a distasteful, greasy complexion. He exuded an aura of near permanent contempt, which made it incredibly difficult to like him. He also happened to be Henry's boss, and the son of the CEO.

"My boy" Mr Partridge started "You must know that being in charge of so many staff takes an enormous amount of skill and patience, hence why I'm so good at it" He gave Henry a toothless smile and a patronising glance "So frankly, if I say you're no longer any good to us, I mean it."

"But-" An argument was quick to form on Henry's lips, however it was shouted down before it could ever reach his boss's ears.

"No buts. You will be gone from these premises by the end of the day."

"Hang on, what about my two weeks notice?! This is illegal!"

Mr Partridge let out a hollow laugh.

"Need I remind you of the influence I hold?" He gave Henry a sharp glare "One more word from you and I'll see that you never have a job again. Do I make myself clear?"

Henry thought about arguing regardless, but any further argument died in his throat as he realised this was not a battle he could win.

"Yes sir. Crystal."

"Fantastic!" In a flash, Mr Partridge had gone from stern and angry, to a facade of happiness and warmth "In that case, you have two hours to clear your desk."

"Of course sir." Henry hung his head, all the fight sapped out of him in an instant.

"Oh and Henry?" Mr Partridge said, just as Henry was turning to leave.

"Yes sir?"

"Don't ever darken my doors again. That's all." Mr Partridge returned to what he'd been doing before the conversation even started, scrawling away on various pieces of paper, no doubt important. Henry let out a long sigh and headed to pack up his desk.

* * *

_"And that is a red warning for ice, driving isn't recommended, we hope all our viewers stay safe."_

Henry huffed, trying to tune out the noise of the staff room television. He had finished packing everything in his desk within the first hour after his meeting, however he had decided to stay in the building right up until the deadline, partially out of spite, partially because he had a vague hope that the weather might improve. Currently it was heavy sleet, transitioning into snow. Rotten weather for a rotten day.

Henry was a young man in his very early 20s, about 5'10" and skinny, with neat mop of brown hair atop his head.

He was also exhausted and angry, this day had not been good to him at all.

With a sigh, Henry turned the television off. He wasn't watching it, and the normally quite busy staff room was deserted. Everyone else in the building had been avoiding him, no doubt because they were aware of his termination; some were likely aware days in advance.

 _"Bastards"_ Henry thought to himself, before turning to look out of the window. The sleet had stopped, and in its place was heavy snowfall. Henry groaned. It was going to be a very difficult drive home.

Henry glanced at his watch, he only had ten minutes before he was due to be thrown out, with or without his things. With a grunt, he stood up, picked up his things, and walked towards the exit. As he stepped outside, the cold hit him hard, chilling him to his core despite the extra layers he wore. Holding his arms close to him, he started to walk towards his car, sparing a quick glance back towards the office building where he had worked for the past two years. In the snow, the tall grey building leered out, looking like it was pulled straight from the pages of a dystopian novel. With a sad sigh, Henry quickly rushed towards his car and got in.

"Oh God it's cold!" Henry muttered to himself, quickly turning the ignition before switching the heater up to full blast. "Welp. Better get home, I guess. Hopefully this day can't get much worse."

* * *

Snow lashed at the windscreen, the wipers furiously trying to clear a path for the driver to see through. Henry cursed his bad luck. Why did it have to be today of all days? He couldn't have had lovely sunny, safe driving conditions on his way home? No. He had to have a hellish nightmare of snow and ice. He had to travel at a snail's pace, only able to see a couple of yards in front of him.

He turned onto a bridge, signaling to himself that he only had a couple of minutes left until he got home.

And then it happened. The unthinkable. A van on the wrong side of the road, speeding towards him. "SHIT!" Henry screamed and jerked the wheel as hard as he could, thankfully dodging the head-on collision by a hair, however in doing so he had lost control of the car on the icy road. It veered and swerved across the middle of the bridge, before flying off the edge and into a river, where water started pooling into the vehicle.

"Okay, okay. Don't panic. Think."

Henry was panicking

 _"A fitting end to the day"_ a more cynical part of him thought.

As the water started rising, up past his ankles, Henry quickly started trying to open the door, only to find it near impossible; the water pressure from the other side barring it shut.

"Right. Calm down, me." Henry was starting to get into a worked up state, the water was now up past his legs. He was growing very nervous indeed.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to think slowly. The water rose up to his bellybutton.

 _"What are you meant to do in this situation? I swear I know."_ Henry bitterly scolded his past self for not learning this information which may well be life saving. He looked out of the window at the cold darkness of the water; water which was seeping into the car.

 _"Why did humanity ever have to leave the sea?"_ Henry thought to himself with an amused snort _"Being able to survive longer in the water would have been a great help right about now."_ He gave up, resigning himself to stare out the window at the liquid which would surely be his demise, now pooling under his chin.

...

"WAIT OF COURSE! THE WINDOW" Henry cried, suddenly realising what he had overlooked. _"Christ, I'm an idiot. What can I smash it with?"_ Henry's eyes darted around the car, settling on a quite pointy looking desk ornament. He grabbed it with both hands and started to bash at the window, taking a deep breath as the water rose above his head. He attacked the window with all his strength, imagining it as the source of all of today's problems. Then, just as the last of his breath was beginning to fade, the window gave way, allowing Henry access to the river outside. He quickly positioned himself to move through the gap, desperate to reach the surface and take a breath of air, something he knew he'd never take for granted again.

Only he couldn't. He was stuck.

In confusion, Henry looked to see what was preventing his movement, only to realise he had forgotten to take off his seatbelt.

 _"I am a goddamn idiot."_ Was his last thought, before he was forced to inhale; water flooding his lungs and choking the life out of him, quickly rendering him blissfully unconscious before stealing his life and leaving naught but a carcass behind in the car.

Yes Henry was having a really bad day indeed.

* * *

_"..."_

_"W-Wait, am I alive?"_

_"No, I can't be. I drowned. I remember drowning."_

_"..."_

_"Where the hell am I then?"_

_"Wait why can't I see my hands, or feet, or... anything really?"_

A ball of light floated in a large formless void, a kaleidoscope of colour permeating through it, ever changing and ever shifting, making it impossible to get a good picture of the size or shape of the area. The ball of light, or Henry, was very distressed indeed.

 ** _"Hmm, another lost spirit. Very unfortunate. Very unfortunate indeed."_** A loud voice echoed through the nothingness, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Henry whipped around, startled "Wh-Who are you?" He stuttered.

 ** _"Who am I? Well, that is the question."_** The voice seemed to contemplate the question, as though it were the greatest philosophical theory ever presented **_"I suppose you could call me the guardian of the afterlife, the architect of reincarnation as it were."_**

Henry was speechless, not quite sure to make of what he was hearing. "Reincarnation?!" He spluttered "Afterlife? What in the hell? This isn't some kind of death hallucination, is it?"

The voice seemed to laugh, a great rumbling shaking the void and startling the small, timid ball of light.

 ** _"I can assure you, dear human, this is no hallucination. You are in fact dead."_** The voice seemed to consider its next words carefully. **_"As for reincarnation and the afterlife, that's why I'm here. You see, human, you have the choice; do you want to go for reincarnation? To be born again under a different sun in a different body?"_** There was a pause **_"Or would you rather see your spirit taken away, to the afterlife?"_**

If Henry had been able to go pale at that moment, he would've. The sheer gravity of the decision he had to make weighing down on him. "I-Uh... Well..." He stopped to clear his head.

"M-May I think about it please?"

The voice let out another chuckle

**_"Why of course you may. I will be here to answer any questions you have."_ **

Henry paused and began to think, the swirling vortex of colour was too distracting. He tried to close his eyes, only to find that he couldn't.

 _"Damnit"_ He thought to himself _"Why couldn't I have been in the spirit dimension, or wherever this is, in my own body."_ He shook himself, clearing his thoughts.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking-" He began to say "What would each option entail?"

The air in the void seemed to grow still, as the mysterious voice thought of its answer. **_"Well."_** It began **_"For the afterlife, that will depend on how you lived as a person. You will be judged harshly and spend the rest of eternity enclosed within an area deserving of your character. You will not ever be able to leave."_**

Henry balked slightly at the description.

 ** _"As for reincarnation-"_** The voice continued **_"I will ask you a series of questions you must answer truthfully. I will use your answers to determine a lifeform and world that you would best fit into, you would then awake without any memories except for those I deem to be relevant to your situation. Additionally you may choose to be reincarnated as either a newborn, or as a being in a similar stage in its life compared to you now."_**

Henry shuddered. He had quickly discounted the idea of the afterlife; eternity trapped within a prison of your own making sounded like a living nightmare to him. On the other hand, he would hate to live the early part of his life all over again, which meant he had only one option left.

"I think I want to choose reincarnation as a being of similar age to me." Henry managed to say.

A moment of silence

"Please." He quickly tacked on the end, hoping the voice wouldn't judge him harshly for a lack of manners, and decide to turn him into a beetle or something.

 ** _"I suspected that may be the case for you, human."_** The voice boomed **_"Very well. Let us begin."_**

The atmosphere of the void suddenly seemed to shift and change, becoming somehow more oppressive. The colours seemed to shine brighter, and somehow the whole scene became even harder to comprehend.

**_"Before we begin, you must promise to answer all questions truthfully, understand?"_ **

The voice seemed to echo and repeat inside Henry's mind, drowning out all other thoughts. "Y-YES!" He shouted "YES I PROMISE!"

In an instant, the pressure lifted and the void returned to the state it had been in before, still formless, still colourful and bright, still incomprehensible, but less oppressive.

 ** _"I apologise for that, human."_** The voice stated **_"I had to make sure you were willing to be truthful on instinct, that you weren't lying to me."_**

Henry cowered away "O-Okay. Can we start now please?"

Another deep laugh **_"Of course."_** There was silence for a moment, as the being seemed to carefully consider what to ask.

**_"Question one: What is your greatest fear?"_ **

Henry didn't have to think at all, the fresh memories weighed upon his mind, of water flooding the car, of being trapped, and...

He shuddered

Drowning.

"Water!" He cried out "My greatest fear is water, I hate it." With the memories dancing through his head, the little ball of light cringed at the phantom sensation of being unable to breathe, or swim to safety.

 ** _"I see..."_** The voice paused again, no doubt to consider a new question, and the bearing of this one.

**_"Question two: If you could change one decision in your life, what would it be?"_ **

Henry let out a mirthless chuckle "I'd have taken off my bloody seatbelt."

**_"Hmm... Interesting decision. Why?"_ **

Henry thought for a second, hardly realising he'd blurted it out almost as a reflex, but the answer came quickly to him.

"Drowning-" he started shakily "Was the single worst experience I have ever had the displeasure of encountering." He paused for a second, seemingly debating over whether or not to say the next part, before sighing _"I promised to be honest"_ He reminded himself. "Afterlife spirit, demon, angel. Whatever you are. Although it sounds horrible to say this, I would sooner kill a dozen people than ever have to experience that again."

There was a pause. _**"A... bizarre decision, undoubtedly selfish"** _Henry cringed **_"However you have your reasons. Very well."_** The voice continued;

_**"Question three: Do you think you are a good person?"** _

This question made Henry pause, he went to answer, then stopped himself

 _"How do I answer this honestly?"_ He thought to himself, the glowing ball of light that represented him growing dim with concentration. Time seemed to pass as he contemplated his answer.

Minutes?

Hours?

Days even?

Henry couldn't tell. The glowing mass of the void made it impossible to fully comprehend the passing of time at all.

 ** _"Whenever you're ready."_** The voice gently encouraged.

Henry flinched at the prompt. "I'm really sorry" He said "I don't quite know how to answer that one honestly" He glanced off to the side, nervous of how the voice might respond.

 ** _"I think-"_** The voice started, speaking with slow purpose **_"This type of question is best answered by speaking your thought process out loud."_**

Henry considered that for a moment, before he sighed, and started to speak;

"I-I don't know in all honesty."

There was a moment of silence, before he continued

"I don't think I'm a bad person. I've never been arrested, I don't really get in trouble, I'm quite unremarkable, really." He took a breath "But I don't know if that makes me a good person, or just a person who isn't bad, so there's my thought process." He anxiously finished, awaiting the voice's response.

 ** _"Well well..."_** The voice pondered **_"I like that answer"_**

Henry relaxed slightly, relieved at the praise.

 ** _"Very well"_** The voice boomed **_"Are you ready for the next question?"_**

Henry nodded.

**_"Question four: What makes you special?"_ **

The ball of light quivered, clearly taken aback by the question.

"I'm not sure I follow...?" Henry managed to say.

 _ **"It's quite simple. What makes you different from all the other humans?"**_ The voice clarified.

Henry seemed to slump, the light going dim.

"Honestly?" He said "Nothing. I'd blend into a crowd very easily. I'm quite forgettable and quite bland."

There was a tense moment of silence, before Henry spoke again;

"I'm sorry. I know that's not the answer you were after, but it's the truth..." He trailed off, the silence becoming too much to handle.

 ** _"Perhaps that is what makes you unique..."_** The voice queried **_"Perhaps the fact that you have nothing special about you, is what makes you different from everyone else."_**

Henry cringed.

**_"Fear not, human, I find that answer acceptable. In fact I think I have pieced together an identity for you."_ **

Henry's spirit suddenly lit up brightly, as he became incredibly attentive all of a sudden, listening intently to whatever the being had to say.

 _ **"Yes..."**_ It muttered **_"You will be the Pokemon Mudkip."_**

The spirit floated backwards in shock.

"A- A Mudkip?" Henry asked inquisitively

 ** _"Yes, I think that's perfect."_** The voice stated, a smile almost audible in its speech **_"Before you go however, I have one last question for you."_**

Henry nodded, ready for the final query.

_**"How many times do you think we've had this conversation? How many lives do you think you've lived, in one form or another?"** _

Henry's mind went blank, the realisation of such a conundrum hit him like a tank.

He tried to speak, he couldn't.

He tried to come up with an answer, he couldn't.

The being seemed to notice, and started to speak again.

 ** _"You can't answer?"_** The disappointment was clear in the voice **_"A pity. Though it is rare to find a being who can. Safe travels, little Mudkip. Enjoy your new life."_**

And just like that, everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 1: A Fresh Start

Henry was sore. He had woken up amidst a small thicket of trees, alongside a small creek. Not that he knew that - he had yet to open his eyes, despite the sunlight tentatively probing his eyelids.

"Ow ow ow…" Henry muttered to himself, trying to shift his weight slightly.

_"Why am I in so much pain?"_ He pondered _"Oh right, the car crash. Dying"_ He sat bolt upright, confusion clearly etched on his features _"I'm not dead though, am I?"_ He opened his eyes, blinking away the sunshine and looking around. He took in the landscape around him; a small clearing in amongst a thin smattering of trees, a brook bubbling and flowing down alongside him.

" _No I'm definitely not dead."_ Henry thought to himself _"And in any case, what's a car?"_ He searched through his memories, desperate to find an answer, only to find…

" _Wait, where are my memories?!"_ He jumped up in a panic, before taking a breath and forcing himself to calm down.

_"Okay. One thing at a time."_ Henry reasoned _"First things first, what's my name?"_

He thought for a moment, before finding an answer.

_"Henry. That's my name."_

He let out a sigh of relief, glad that he at least had some memory intact.

" _Alright, next thing."_ Henry continued _"Where am I?"_

Henry paused, taking a good long moment to look around, however nothing came to him. He reached up to scratch his head in confusion, only to find that he couldn't. He looked down in amazement, wondering why his arms weren't working, only to find that he didn't have any. In their place were two stubby blue legs, each with a joint at the knee. There were a few small toes at the end of what Henry could only assume were his feet, although considering how seamlessly they blended into the rest of his leg, they may well have been a mere extension of the limb.

Henry blinked in shock, before turning his head and taking a glance behind him. Indeed it was much the same scenario for his back legs - short and stubby. Also visible was a large, fin-like tail, swaying gently in the breeze.

" _Huh"_ He puzzled _"Better question: what am I?"_

Henry glanced around, his eyes drifting to the small river beside him. Immediately he recoiled, jumping several feet away from the water, the fins on his head and tail were fully unfurled and standing on end. It was a guttural, fearful reaction; an instinctual hatred of the liquid.

Henry took a second to calm himself

" _Okay."_ He thought to himself _"Clearly I don't like the water."_

He shuddered, imagining the sensation of being submerged

_"But-"_ He gulped, fear quite clear on his face. _"But I need to see what I look like. I need to see my reflection."_

With that nerve-wracking thought, Henry started slowly creeping towards the water's edge, the desire to see his own reflection just barely outweighing his fear of the water in that moment.

" _It'll be okay."_ Henry reassured himself, as he reached the bank _"I don't have to touch the river, I only have to look at it."_

With that thought at the forefront of his mind, he lowered his head and stared at his own reflection.

A large blue head stared back at him, a similar shade to his legs, although transitioning to a much lighter blue past the mouth with that shade continuing along his underbelly. A large fin stood atop his head, and just visible behind the rest of the reflection, Henry could just about make out a second, lighter fin, which he supposed must be his tail. He had two chocolate coloured eyes, evenly spaced in the centre of his head, and two small nostrils just below them.

The most striking feature, however, were the large orange cheek pouches, one each side of his head, stretching from the top of his eyes down to the bottom of his chin, and adorned with small whiskers the same colour.

Henry stared, dumbfounded at his reflection.

His reflection stared back, just as confused as he was.

" _I'm- I'm a Mudkip."_ He thought to himself in amazement, before he frowned slightly _"Well of course I'm a Mudkip, I always have been… I think."_

Henry stood there for a second, pondering the revelation, before taking notice of the water once more and immediately darting away from it. He started to go through anything else he remembered.

" _Name? Check. Species? Check. Location?"_

The Mudkip looked around, baffled by what he saw.

_"I guess that's a no."_

He sat for a moment, thinking hard.

_"Okay. Well that's the most important things, but what else do I know about myself for sure?"_ He looked about, before his eyes once again settled on the peacefully bubbling brook. _"I know for certain that I'm deathly afraid of water"_ He suppressed another shudder before inching just slightly further away from the gentle stream.

" _I guess that's everything…"_ Henry hummed disappointedly to himself. _"I suppose I ought to find some other people, maybe they can help me out."_ With a slight sigh, the water-type stretched out, considering which direction he should walk in.

" _Directly away from the water."_ He decided quickly, before turning and starting his trek into the woods.

The atmosphere was generally peaceful, if a little quiet. There was a certain stillness to the woods, broken only occasionally by the breeze rustling the trees. As the lonesome Mudkip continued its walk through the woods, the day seemed to disappear.

Just as the sky started to become flecked with red, the trees began to thin out, revealing a well worn trail stretching as far as Henry was able to see in both directions, with trees again appearing on the other side. The Mudkip stopped, considering his next move carefully.

" _I suppose I could wait and see who comes along."_ He idly wondered, choosing to sit and rest for the moment; still sore, with the hike also having tuckered him out somewhat _"Though I could also start walking up this trail; that may cause me to run into someone just as fast."_

Henry let out a yawn and looked up at the sky, which was beginning to turn a deep red on the horizon

_"I suppose I could always sleep first."_ He thought to himself _"After all, I can't see anyone and I shouldn't really travel at night anyway, I don't think."_

With his mind made up, the Mudkip curled up on the side of the road, and before long had drifted into quite a peaceful slumber.

* * *

"Is it a wild?"

"Oh...Um- I don't think so… There aren't any wild Mudkip in this area."

"Is it dead?"

"N-No, I can see it breathing."

Henry awoke to the sound of two voices, one was deep and monotonous, while the other was high and tinny, almost like a bell.

"What is our course of action, Chingling?" The deeper voice asked

"I-I really don't know, Voltorb." The other voice responded, sounding very unsure of itself "We can't just leave it here…" The voice trailed off, sounding very uncertain "Can we…?"

"Negative." The deeper voice boomed "That would go against our duty."

As the voices continued to debate the best course of action, Henry decided that this would be the perfect time to interject. Opening his eyes revealed that it was now almost pitch black, the only source of light being a lantern, clearly belonging to one of the Pokemon now discussing him.

Henry turned and looked towards the sound of the voices, revealing the owners to be a Chingling and a Voltorb, engaged in quite a deep conversation. They hadn't seemed to notice him yet, giving the Mudkip a chance to examine them.

The Voltorb seemed to stand only a little taller than him, though Henry wasn't sure if 'stand' was the right word, for the ball Pokemon didn't have any sort of legs to speak of. A large bag was meticulously wrapped around the Pokemon, in such a fashion that it would be very difficult to fall off, even if the Voltorb should roll.

The Chingling, on the other hand, was incredibly small. Henry estimated that it would only come up to about his shoulder, if even that. It was a shockingly small Pokemon. The Chingling was wearing a bow in one of its ribbons, and was carrying a small lantern that glowed with a surprising intensity, considering its size, brightly illuminating several feet around them.

Just as Henry was about to say something, the discussion seemed to reach its close and the Pokemon turned back towards him.

The Chingling blinked perplexedly, seeming to notice that Henry had woken up.

"O-Oh." Chingling stuttered, clearly embarrassed "S-Sorry, I didn't know you were awake"

Henry gave them a smile "No worries, I'm sorry I startled you." He stood up, stretching his legs and giving his fins a little wiggle "I didn't realise sleeping here would cause any problems."

Chingling frowned before speaking again "W-Well normally it doesn't" He started "B-But also normally people sleep in a tent, so there's that."

Henry cringed, his face turning a deep shade of blue in embarrassment "Well I'm sorry to have bothered you" He stated "I'm just a tad lost. Who are you, by the way?"

The duo seemed to brighten up at the question, Chingling getting an excited gleam in his eye - all nervousness seemed to have vanished from him.

"Wherever you're in trouble!" Chingling sang

"We'll always be there!" Voltorb droned

"Team Cacophony is here, so fiends beware!" The two Pokemon finished in sync, Chingling jumping up in the air while Voltorb spun around on its axis. Chingling threw some sparkly powder into the air which Voltorb quickly sent an electrical current through, causing a quite spectacular lightshow.

Henry stared, unsure what to make of the peculiar duo before him.

"Come again?" He asked, completely baffled.

At this, the pair seemed to fault.

"We- We're a rescue team" Chingling stammered, anxiousness now back in full force "T-Team Cacophony, because I use sound to attack and Voltorb is immune to sound and- and we have another member, but Whismur's busy at the moment s-s- so..." Chingling trailed off into a muttering, nervous heap, luckily Voltorb helped him out of the situation.

"We are a rescue team." He stated "Our chosen name is team Cacophony."

Henry furrowed his brow, confused.

"Um? What's a rescue team?" He asked innocently.

At this question, the two Pokemon in front of him reeled back in shock, looking at Henry with a dumbfounded gaze.

"I-Uh" Henry spluttered on his own words, his face somehow turning even darker than before "I'm not from around here, so I don't really know and…" Now it was Henry's turn to turn into a nervous mumbling wreck, faltering under the astounded looks he was receiving from the two Pokemon in front of him "I-I'm sorry!" He managed to blurt out, which snapped team Cacophony from their daze. Chingling spoke up.

"Uh- Um don't be sorry." He started "I-Its just that most people know what a rescue team is." He looked at the ground "I-I thought it was quite an important job, s-saving people and doing tasks a-and…"

Chingling once again fell into a stupor of anxious muttering, luckily Voltorb was yet again on hand to help out.

"According to the Rescue Act, published by the fourth government of the Elemental Continent-" Voltorb started to drone, Henry realising what a terrible mistake he'd made by asking. "A rescue team is a group of two or more Pokemon who engage in prevention and mitigation of disasters, perform relief work, and preserve life. Of course this was errata'd two years after the legislation was published to include the duties of locating missing items, locating missing Pokemon, and apprehending outlaws. According to page three, subsection C of this law-"

"Alright! I think I get it!" Henry cut off the Voltorb before it could start spouting dense legal jargon at him. "So you help people?" He guessed.

"Y-Yes that's right."

"Affirmative"

"Right. Okay. That's all I needed to know." Henry shook his head.

"So you mentioned that you're a team, right?" He asked "Do you like, meet up with other teams and stuff, or do you just wander about doing your own thing?"

Voltorb was about to answer, but luckily Chingling stepped in before they all got blasted with another lecture on legislation.

"W-Well you can do it separate from any group, b-but that can be quite dangerous." The bell Pokemon stammered "W-We're part of the Aggron Guild. Th-They provide housing a-and healthcare to teams training under them, a-and in exchange they t-take half of what we earn from ou-our rescue jobs."

Henry frowned a little at that _"Fifty percent?!"_ He thought to himself _"What sort of a racket are they running?!"_

Chingling noticed the Mudkip's change in expression and quickly added:

"It-It isn't bad, really it isn't! Th-The money is really important for the guild to buy supplies for big rescue missions a-and we get free food and housing, so it really isn't bad a-and..." Chingling trailed off again, Henry interjecting before Voltorb could start another monologue.

"No that's okay." He said reassuringly "It sounds cool!" He desperately shot Chingling a smile, hoping to cheer the small Pokemon up. It seemed to work, as Chingling stopped muttering and instead shot a big grin back.

There was a moment of peaceful silence, before Henry started. _"Where are my manners?!"_ He chastised himself. "I'm Henry, by the way." He said with a smile.

There was another silence, however this was not a peaceful one. The air was thick with tension, and at the mention of his name, the friendly expressions of the rescue team had morphed into ones of distrust and barely withheld anger. Voltorb started to crackle with electricity, preparing to fight at a moment's notice.

"Wha-What did I do wrong?" Henry blurted out, suddenly very nervous.

"Voltorb warned me you might be one of _those_ Pokemon." Chingling stated, all traces of nerves had disappeared, now replaced with a steely resolve which seemed wholly out of place on such a small and unassuming creature.

"I took the chance anyway, because there was a possibility that you were in need of help." Chingling continued, a dangerous gleam now present in his eye "But it's quite clear now that you're just a sleazeball."

Chingling took a step towards Henry, who nervously took a step back, ready to run back into the woods.

"You may have pulled that trick on unassuming Pokemon before us, but we're a rescue team, we're wise to the tricks of outlaws like you." The electricity around Voltorb was now burning the air, giving the area a potent smell of ozone. "Now you can either come quietly, or we'll beat you to a pulp and drag you along with us. I don't care which." Chingling finished the sentence with a tone that suggested he'd very much prefer the second option, before starting to inhale deeply, likely preparing one of those sound-based moves he'd mentioned earlier.

Henry was starting to slowly shuffle backwards, he had gone from comfortable and happy, to unbelievably scared in no time flat.

"W-Well you see th-the thing i-is-" He started, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice. "I- Uh…" Henry bolted mid-sentence, back into the treeline. As he did so, Chingling let out a tremendous shout, rattling Henry to his core, and almost sending him sprawling.

" _No!"_ He thought to himself _"I won't let them get me!"_

Henry repeated that thought over and over in his mind as he darted in between trees, desperate to lose his pursuers in the dark woodland. A bolt of electricity flew past his head, colliding with a nearby tree, which promptly exploded, raining boiling sap down onto the three Pokemon below.

"Voltorb! What are you doing!?" Henry heard Chingling cry behind him.

" _This is my chance!"_ He realised, darting away while his would-be captors were arguing. He looked around for anywhere he could possibly hide. _"Come on, woodlands!"_ He panickedly thought _"You've got to have a hole or a hollow, or something!"_

But alas, there was nothing to be found. Henry could hear the sound of electricity charging once more behind him.

_"I guess this is it."_ He dejectedly thought to himself _"I'm about to be fried and sent to jail, for the crime of introducing myself."_

" _..."_

_"NO!"_

As his resolve hardened, Henry started to feel a strange sensation in the back of his throat, like a combination of needing to clear his throat and having a horrible buildup of bile, like something needed to be released. Acting solely on instinct, he whipped around and fired a blast of water from his mouth, towards his would-be captors, stunning them briefly.

" _There!"_

Henry spotted a large hole in amidst the roots of a particularly large oak, and immediately dove into it, desperate to escape his stunned pursuers. He quickly wormed his way in between the roots, and waited with bated breath.

_"Please."_ He silently prayed _"If there's any sort of deity out there, don't let them get me."_

Time dragged on, seconds now seeming to last for hours. The previously peaceful silence of the forest had now become oppressive and dark, filling the nervous Mudkip with a sense of dread, before finally something broke the silence.

"There is only a small distance a Mudkip could travel in the area." The voice of Voltorb droned from somewhere nearby.

"He's BRIGHT BLUE!" Chingling yelled back, clearly much further away "How in Groudon's name have we lost him?!"

"Visibility is poor." Voltorb clarified, his voice now very nearby. The smell of ozone was once again growing strong. "These are suboptimal conditions for a pursuit and capture. I recommend we accept this as a defeat so we don't become lost."

"NO!" Chingling shouted "I've NEVER let a thief get away before, and I don't intend to start now!" A determined anger was clear in the psychic-type's voice.

"You are not thinking clearly, Chingling." Voltorb stated "There are several mystery dungeons in the area. We are ill-equipped to pursue if our target has fled inside one."

There was a moment of silence

"FINE!" Chingling hollered. "We'll carry on towards the guild, but the FIRST thing we're doing when we get there, is reporting him!"

"That is an acceptable compromise" Voltorb said, seemingly satisfied.

And with those final words, the voices seemed to grow fainter and fainter, the electrical smell disappearing and a quiet calm once again falling over the woodland. Henry let out a breath he'd been holding, before collapsing in a heap.

" _Okay. That was something."_ He reflected on what had just happened.

_"They seemed to go berserk when I mentioned my name. Is that not allowed?"_ Henry frowned, confused _"And then I shot water at them...?!"_

Henry flinched at the memory, immediately sitting back on his haunches and desperately pawing at his tongue, as if that would make the memory of the liquid disappear.

_"Why?"_ He mentally complained _"Why water, of everything? I couldn't have had fire breath, or been able to shoot ghost beams. No. I have crappy, dangerous, evil, disgusting water."_

Henry shuddered, haunted by a sensation he couldn't quite recall, that of drowning.

With his tongue thoroughly scrubbed and his mouth as dry as it could be, for a water-type, Henry lay down, curling into a ball and bringing his tail across his face. His stomach growled and he let out a long yawn.

"I guess I'll have to find food tomorrow." He murmured to himself sleepily.

And with that thought, the lonely Mudkip faded into a fitful slumber, his dreams haunted with images of water.

* * *

Sunlight washed gently into the hollow, tentatively probing the eyelids of the sleeping Pokemon inside. Henry opened his eyes slowly, taking a long look around him. With daybreak now illuminating the world, the inside of the hole was much more clear; a narrow passageway, a mess of roots and dirt barely big enough to turn around in.

" _I guess I should thank my lucky stars this was here."_ Henry thought to himself, before stretching out and nervously poking his head out into the open.

It was a beautiful day, by all accounts. A warm breeze rustled the trees, shaking the leaves and branches in a fashion that almost made them look like they were dancing. The sun was quite low in the sky, long shadows of the landscape cast along the ground. Henry looked both ways, eyes wide and alert for any sign of Pokemon who may be hunting him. The woods, however, were silent.

Henry stepped out of his hidey-hole, stretching out and glancing around.

"Well yesterday was exciting, I suppose…" Henry muttered to himself "I wonder what I should do now?"

Before Henry could pursue that line of thought any further, he was interrupted by a fierce growl from his stomach, and a sharp stab of pain.

"Heh…" Henry laughed weakly to himself "I guess I'm going to have to find some food."

Henry looked left and right.

"Now where on earth am I going to find any…?"

Quickly making up his mind, he decided to venture back into the woodlands, searching high and low for anything that may be edible, however despite the abundance of foliage, Henry couldn't find a single berry or apple, or any plant at all which looked like it could be eaten.

" _Well this is no good."_ He thought to himself despondently, however just as he was about to despair, he caught whiff of a delicious scent and, against his better judgement, decided to follow it.

The scent led Henry on a winding path through the woods, leaving him so entranced by it's deliciousness that he didn't even notice the trees thinning until he was almost right back on the path.

"Um… Hello?"

A stocky quadruped stood in the middle of the path, only a few feet from the Mudkip. It was a similar height to Henry and was a splotchy green all over. A large plant-like growth stood on its back. The creature had a small satchel draped over its head and back, with the pouch resting at its side. Two vines were protruding from the creature's bulb, and at the end of the vines was the most delectable looking sandwich Henry had ever seen.

"Can I help you?" The Bulbasaur asked cautiously.

Henry said nothing, intently staring at the sandwich with a dangerous hunger in his eyes; his mouth already salivating at the mere thought of tasting the treat.

The grass-type followed his gaze to the bready snack, realising at once what the Mudkip was after.

"Oh, uh, if you're hungry, I have more food in my bag." The Bulbasaur turned, using one of his vines to rummage in his satchel, before producing another identical sandwich. He held it out towards the water-type "Here, I have plenty." He said with a smile.

Henry looked at the sandwich.

Henry looked at the Bulbasaur.

Back to the sandwich.

And once more to the Bulbasaur.

He studied the creature's face carefully, looking for any sign of malice or deceit, only to find nothing but genuine kindness and generosity.

"You, uh, gonna say anything?" The Bulbasaur said unsurely "Maybe take the food…?"

" _This has to be a trick."_ Henry thought to himself, suspicion growing in his mind _"This is all way too convenient."_

Henry studied the befuddled Pokemon again.

" _What if this is someone sent to get me?!"_ Henry realised with a start, his mind cast back to the encounter with the rescue team the day before, and their promise to report him to the guild as an outlaw. _"The sandwich must be poisoned!"_ Henry took a wary step back _"On the other hand, it does look really tasty… Wait! He said he had a bag full of food, surely more than he needs. What if I just take that?"_ A small smile crept onto his face _"Yes that's perfect! That way I get the food and I avoid getting captured!"_

"Um, look" The Bulbasaur stated, clearly confused "If you don't want the sandwich, I'm going to go. I would really like to get to town before nightfall, so if you don't mind-"

Before the Bulbasaur could say another word, Henry dashed down and snatched the bag in his mouth, tearing it away from the startled Pokemon, before he rushed away into the woods.

"HEY! That's my stuff, you Snorlax's arse!" The Bulbasaur cried out, before quickly giving chase.

* * *

Saurton the Bulbasaur was having a good day.

The sun was shining and the air was warm, what more could a Pokemon ask for? He had been travelling for three days now, but hopefully he'd be able to make it to Hope Village by the end of the day; the home home of…

" _The Rescue Guild!"_ Saurton thought to himself in awe _"I can't wait to see it! I bet it's even cooler than all the stories say it is! I bet Aggron is the biggest, toughest Pokemon in the whole wide world!"_

The Bulbasaur did a little excited jig, bobbing from side to side at the thought of seeing the illustrious guild.

" _And what a wonderful day to see it on!"_ Saurton thought happily _"I do hope they'll take me as an apprentice!"_ He frowned for a second, a sudden pang of nerves hitting him.

" _Don't think about 'ifs', Saurton"_ He scolded himself _"Think about 'whens'. Of course they'll take you, they always need new recruits."_

With the nerves thoroughly quashed, the grass-type happily bobbed along the trail, stopping every once in a while to take in the breeze, or look at a particularly lovely flower. Before long hunger started to seize him.

" _Oh right!"_ He thought bemusedly _"I was so excited to get going that I forgot to eat breakfast!"_

Chuckling to himself, Saurton extended a vine and reached inside his satchel, producing a delicious-looking sandwich, filled with his mother's finest oran berry jam.

Saurton took a moment to savour the sight and smell of the treat, taking in the beautiful combination of bread and sweet fruit paste.

" _Alright!"_ He thought excitedly _"Time to eat!"_

Just as he was about to take a bite, however, the Bulbasaur heard a rustling in the undergrowth. He quickly extended his other vine, clutching the food protectively. His head whipped about, scanning the treeline for the source of the noise, before his eyes settled on a crazed looking Mudkip.

"Um… Hello? Can I help you?"

The Mudkip seemed to take notice of him, its eyes immediately darting to the sandwich, and staring at it with a clear hunger.

" _Poor guy."_ Saurton thought to himself, his heart filled with sympathy _"He looks half-starved."_

The Mudkip didn't respond, its eyes still transfixed on the snack at the end of Saurton's vines. Seeing that the water-type wasn't going to respond, Saurton continued.

"Oh, uh, if you're hungry I have more food in my bag." He took a vine away from his precious food, before reaching in and producing his other sandwich.

" _Well there goes my lunch, I guess."_ He thought sourly _"At least it's going to someone who needs it."_

He extended his vine towards the Mudkip, food in tow.

"Here, I have plenty." He said, putting on his best smile, but internally shattered at the thought of giving away his precious cargo. In reality this was the last of his food until he could reach town.

" _Arceus, I am going to be hungry come the end of the day."_ He thought to himself sadly.

Saurton faltered. The Mudkip was still just standing there, eyes darting back and forth between him and the offered food, before resting firmly on the Bulbasaur. Saurton internally squirmed at the scrutinising gaze that the Mudkip was throwing towards him, but kept his face clear, in a big grin.

Saurton spoke, if only to break the tension.

"You, uh, gonna say anything? Maybe take the food...?" Saurton was growing quite nervous now, something about the silent Mudkip was unnerving to him.

" _Why isn't it saying anything?"_ Saurton thought to himself in complete confusion _"Can it understand me? Maybe it's wild?"_ As the thought crossed his mind, the Mudkip took a step back, clearly quite wary, before it seemed to decide something, a small smile evident on its features. It remained quite still though, so Saurton decided to try one last time.

"Um, look. If you don't want the sandwich, I'm going to go. I would really like to get to town before nightfall, so if you don't mind-" The Mudkip rushed forwards, interrupting him mid sentence.

" _Finally!"_ Saurton thought in exasperation, but to his utmost surprise, the Mudkip didn't go for the sandwich, instead going for his bag. A bag containing all of his possessions and money, which were all very inedible.

"HEY!" He cried out in surprise and anger, unable to quite believe what had just happened "That's my stuff, you Snorlax's arse!"

In a fit of rage, Saurton rushed after the roguish Pokemon, taking great care not to drop his food as he gave chase into the woods.

* * *

" _Bollocks."_ Henry thought to himself _"He's fast."_

Despite all attempts to lose his pursuer, the Bulbasaur had managed to stay hot on his heels, although never quite catching him.

" _Hmm…"_ Henry wondered, the horrible sensation once again building in his throat _"What if I did this?!"_

In a flash he turned, dropping the bag briefly and firing a jet of water from his mouth, muddying the ground between the two Pokemon.

" _That'll be sure to make him slip!"_ He thought smugly, picking the bag back up in his mouth. And true to his expectations, the grass-type started to slip, only to steady itself with its vines.

…

Vines which were still clutching the sandwiches!

Henry stared in horror, realising that he had just secured his place in history as perhaps the worst criminal to ever live; the sandwiches were coated with a thick brown mud; soggy and inedible.

The Bulbasaur, likewise, was looking at the remains of his food with anguish clear in his face, before he turned towards Henry once more, his expression morphing into one of disappointment, and then anger.

"ARCEUS DAMN YOU!" The Bulbasaur screamed "I HOPE RAYQUAZA EATS YOUR FAMILY!"

The sudden outburst snapped Henry out of his guilty stupor, and with the grass-type yelling and cursing behind him, they took off once more, through the trees.

" _Why did I have to do that?"_ Henry thought bitterly as he ran _"Now this Pokemon is sure to chase me to the ends of the earth for revenge. I have to lose him quickly."_ His eyes darted around, searching for anything he could use to escape the vengeful plant chasing him, before he suddenly screeched to a halt. There in front of him was the stream he'd woken up by, taunting him with it's terrifying gentleness and lack of depth.

Henry stood, frozen in fear as the Bulbasaur came to a stop behind him.

"F-Finally." It panted, tired from the running "Now give me my bag back, you lunatic!"

Henry jumped in shock, he was now stuck between a very angry Bulbasaur and a terrifying brook.

" _What should I do?"_ He thought in a panic, desperately trying to find another way out of the situation, only to find it was hopeless. There was no way he was going anywhere near the water, which left him only one way out.

" _I'm going to have to fight this Pokemon."_ He realised _"And it's almost certain to win."_

Henry shuddered, dropping the bag next to him and mentally preparing himself for the beating he was about to receive. He lowered his head and charged at the Bulbasaur, hoping to knock it down with a powerful tackle.

The Bulbasaur was quick to react, however, slapping the Mudkip aside with a single swat of its vines and then grabbing the water-type, pinning him in place.

Saurton walked over to the discarded bag. "This is mine, thank you very much." He said pointedly, painfully squeezing the immobilized Mudkip with his tendrils.

He slung the bag over his neck.

"I don't know what on earth compelled you to try and take my things." He said, shooting a glare at the offending Mudkip "But you made a big mistake."

Saurton started to move menacingly towards the bound Pokemon.

"Wa-Wait! Please don't hurt me!" Henry screeched, closing his eyes and cowering as best he could, stuck amidst the plant.

Saurton stopped. "So you can talk." He stated, clearly unimpressed. "Then do you mind telling me what exactly you were doing, taking my things?"

Henry cringed "I-I didn't mean anything bad by it." He stuttered "I just- I thought you were trying to hunt me…" The last piece of his sentence turned into little more than a mumble, beneath the cold stare of his captor.

"Uh-huh." The Bulbasaur said, clearly not believing a word he was hearing "And why exactly would I be hunting you?"

Henry glanced to the side, breaking eye contact. "Well I introduced myself to some Pokemon yesterday, and they started attacking me." He mumbled. That seemed to grab the Bulbasaur's attention, the cold stare now replaced with a curious one. "They thought I was a bandit and said they'd report me as one." Henry cringed, realising the absurdity of what he was about to say next "I-uh. I thought you were trying to poison me." He nervously eyed the Bulbasaur, waiting for a response.

The grass type sighed, loosening the vines slightly. "Well way to prove them right." He said, making Henry flinch in embarrassment and shame "You aren't from around here, are you?"

Henry shook his head as best he could.

"Well names are quite taboo." The Bulbasaur started to explain "They're a big symbol of trust. It's an old thieves' trick to tell someone your name to gain their trust and then rob them." The vines loosened a bit more "So that's probably why they thought you were bad."

With that note, Saurton released a quite shaken Henry. "Let's try a proper introduction." He stated, Henry nodding nervously in response.

"Hello, I'm Bulbasaur." Saurton extended a vine in greeting and gave a patient smile.

"H-Hello." Henry stammered "I'm He- Uh- Mudkip." He glanced at the ground in embarrassment. "I'm sorry for taking your bag…"

Saurton gave him a glare, before shaking his head and sighing.

"No harm no foul, I guess." He said in a resigned tone. "Anyway, I've got to be going. Goodbye Mudkip."

Just as Saurton turned to leave, however, a great commotion could be heard, a large shape bursting through the trees.

"HELP! Oh won't someone please help me!"

The voice belonged to a large oval-shaped Pokemon, pink all over. It had two stubby arms and two stubby feet. A large pouch adorned its front, containing a bright white egg.

"PLEASE! ANYONE!" The Chansey screamed, seemingly unaware of the two Pokemon standing just feet away from her.

"Hey you!" Saurton started "Calm down, what's wrong?"

The Chansey turned, noticing the concerned Pokemon and rushing over.

"Oh it's TERRIBLE!" She cried "My poor baby Happiny dropped her egg rock, she chased after it into the Haunted Grove!" The egg Pokemon grabbed the grass-type in a fit of worry "She could be KILLED! I tried to go in after her, but I can't hurt the ghost Pokemon. They just drove me out!"

Chansey dropped Saurton and danced around in a state of panic.

"Oh kind Pokemon, you're an elemental type, aren't you? You simply must help me!" She stated more than asked, worry clear in her voice.

"O-Of course." Saurton said, a bit dazed from the sudden movement. "Uh, which way is the Haunted Grove?"

Chansey pointed off into the woods. "You can't miss it." She said "It's a mystery dungeon!"

Saurton nodded resolutely, before turning back to the speechless Mudkip. "Hey, Mudkip." He said "You coming?"

Henry snapped back to reality "Uh-Ye-Yeah." He managed to splutter.

"Good, then let's go."

And with that, the two Pokemon dashed into the bushes, determined to do some good.


	3. Chapter 2: The Spookiest of Rescues

The Haunted Grove. A name which struck terror into the hearts of all but the most fearsome normal-type Pokemon.

Bursting with ghost Pokemon, as well as being a tricksy mystery dungeon, the grove was little more than a death trap for anyone without an elemental typing or a way of dragging the spirits into the real world. It was a secluded area; too far out of the way to be a bother, while not being dangerous enough to be completely cleansed by a rescue team. A nasty place.

At least that's what Henry had managed to gather from the rushed explanation Saurton had given him as they ran towards this dangerous area.

"Ghost-types are sadists too." The Bulbasaur explained "They like to torment people - play tricks and the like - so be careful!"

Henry nodded.

"Right. Gotcha. How will we know when we reach it?"

Saurton frowned slightly, before answering.

"Trust me, you'll know when we see it. It's unsubtle, even for a mystery dungeon."

Sure enough, as the Pokemon continued, they found a strange scene before them.

The trees suddenly stopped, a completely clear stretch of ground stood between them and another set of trees, writhing and unnatural - a depressive aura surrounding the entire area.

Henry gulped, suddenly feeling a lot less sure about this rescue mission.

"Uh, Bulbasaur?" He started nervously "What exactly is a mystery dungeon?"

The grass-type glanced at him curiously, contemplating what had just been said.

"You really aren't from around here, are you?" Saurton replied "Don't worry about it for now, just stick close to me and I'll explain once we're in there."

Henry went very pale.

"D-Do I really have to come?" He spluttered "I think I'd be better out here, act as a lookout or a…"

Any further excuses were shattered under Saurton's cold gaze.

"Yes. You really do have to come with me." Saurton said, giving the Mudkip a judgmental glare. "Going into a mystery dungeon alone is incredibly dangerous."

The seed Pokemon started to cautiously approach the mysterious cluster of trees, before turning and adding:

"Besides. Think of this as an apology for robbing me."

Henry flinched at the reminder of his crime, a sharp stab of hunger chastising him for his foolishness as he followed Saurton into the Haunted Grove.

* * *

**Haunted Grove F1:**

The inside of the grove was somehow even more disturbing than the outside, Henry decided. Everywhere he looked, there was a tendril that shouldn't exist; a shadow without any light to cast it, or a movement from an invisible creature. The whole scene was drenched in an unearthly darkness, making it near impossible to see more than a couple of feet in front of him.

On top of that, Henry had the strangest sensation that he was being followed.

He quickly whipped around, coming face-to-face with the lifeless eyes of a Pikachu… Only it wasn't a Pikachu, it was a cruel imitation of the cute and jovial Pokemon, like a child's drawing compared to a work of art.

"AAHHH!" Henry screamed and jumped back, huddling up to his Bulbasaur companion as though his life depended on it. "A G-G-GHOST!"

Saurton turned, staring at the Mimikyu who was just standing there; watching the cowering Mudkip with a quiet curiosity.

And yet there was something about this particular Mimikyu that just seemed… off, to Saurton. Weren't Mimikyu normally incredibly shy Pokemon? When they weren't shy they usually sought out attention, so why did this one sneak up from behind?

The spirit started to shuffle towards the duo, and Saurton's eyes widened in horror as he realised what was wrong.

The Mimikyu's costume was broken, the head of the Pikachu hanging limply at its side.

"Mudkip!" He whispered urgently to the frightened Pokemon "Something's attacked this Pokemon, and I think it wants to take that out on us. You need to be ready to fight, okay?"

Henry nodded, eyes wide and alert as the ghost started to inch slowly towards them, clearly preparing some sort of attack.

In a flash Saurton extended his vines, eager to get the first hit on the feral Pokemon. He swatted at the creature violently, connecting solidly with its body and sending the fake Pikachu skidding limply across the ground, where it lay unmoving.

Saurton paused, still on edge.

"Well..." He said cautiously "That was easier than I expected."

He turned away from the fallen Pokemon, eager to continue the search for the missing child, however as he did so, a sudden blast of dark energy sent him sprawling.

The Mimikyu had risen up again, clearly not as injured as it had let on.

Saurton groggily rose to his feet, turning and staring at the Pokemon, terror clearly written on his features. The air seemed to go still, before the disguise Pokemon let out a feral howl of rage, an eerie sound which made the two rescuers cower in fear. It leapt into the air, tendrils of darkness starting to form around it, before it was suddenly blasted down by a powerful jet of water.

Saurton turned to see his partner desperately pawing at their mouth in disgust.

"I hate that I can do that." Henry muttered.

Before he had time to gripe further, however, he was quickly pulled to the side by a pair of vines - a dark lance of energy impacting the ground where he'd been a moment before.

He turned to the Bulbasaur, shell-shocked from the experience.

"U-Uh… Thanks…" He managed to say.

"Focus." Was Saurton's only acknowledgement "This thing isn't a normal Mimikyu. It shouldn't be able to learn these sorts of moves, let alone use them."

Henry nodded, turning his full attention towards the battle ahead of him.

And what a scene it was. The Mimikyu stood, twitching and spasming unnaturally, dark wisps of ethereal energy floating off of its form, giving the Pokemon an even more sinister look. It stood there, eyeing the two fearful rescuers from underneath its costume.

All of a sudden it let out another screech, sinking into the ground and rushing towards the two Pokemon with astonishing speed.

"MOVE!" Saurton yelled, but Henry was too slow and the ghost flew out of the ground, nailing him in the side with a meaty blow.

Henry was flung aside like a ragdoll, however this was all the distraction Bulbasaur needed. He swung his vines once more, grabbing on to the ghost and tightening his vines in an attempt to squeeze the creature into submission.

The ghost writhed and twisted in the grasp of the grass-type, desperately struggling for an escape, before the entity inside the costume gave a final wail and disappeared, leaving only it's Pikachu cloak behind - entangled in Saurton's vines.

Henry stood up, grunting in pain, before glancing over at his battered companion.

"Wha-" He managed to say weakly, eyes transfixed on the abandoned costume. "What was that?"

"A Mimikyu." Saurton responded, much paler than he had been before "Except it wasn't like normal ones." He glanced around, checking for any other abominations that may be watching them.

The grove was silent, however.

"I think we need to find this kid quickly, and then get out of here." He said, Henry nodding enthusiastically in response.

Together they continued their hunt, a much greater sense of tension now present amongst them.

* * *

**Haunted Grove F2:**

"Hey Bulbasaur." Henry started, as the pair descended deeper into the woods "You still haven't told me what a mystery dungeon is."

Saurton took a second to glance around, before responding.

"Nobody really knows what a mystery dungeon is, or where they came from." He started "All we really know is that they're areas which are bigger on the inside than they look, and that they change layout entirely every time you enter them."

Saurton poked a bush, making sure there was nothing hiding inside.

"We also know that the Pokemon who live here are violent and dangerous - we call them wild." He looked around for a moment, before adding with a worried tone. "I've actually been in this one before, but if that Mimikyu was any indication, it's a lot more dangerous than it used to be."

At that Henry repressed a shudder, inching towards his Bulbasaur guide for a better sense of security.

Saurton noticed his companion's fear.

"Don't worry." He said with a reassuring smile "This is a short dungeon, and we're still more than strong enough to handle it, in fact-"

The Bulbasaur's speech was interrupted by a large growl from both of their stomachs.

"Nevermind" He said "We should probably find some food. Mystery dungeons are full of food if you know where to look - berries, seeds, apples, and even the occasional gummi every now and then."

Saurton started scanning the ground and surrounding trees for anything which appeared edible, Henry looking on in complete amazement.

"Bulbasaur?" He started "How do you know all this?"

Saurton flushed slightly, looking at the ground in embarrassment.

"I-Uh." He started, flustered "I've wanted to explore mystery dungeons for a really long time. My mum is really good at it, she taught me a lot."

Henry nodded understandingly.

"Sounds cool." He said encouragingly "Cool, cool, cool…"

The Mudkip trailed off, distracted by a large, shiny apple sitting on the ground. He stared, transfixed at the beauty of the fruit, before starting to approach it.

"Hey, Bulbasaur." He nudged the grass-type with his tail "Food like this?"

Saurton looked over towards the apple.

"Yes!" He exclaimed "Exactly like that. Hang on a second."

The Bulbasaur extended his vines, grabbing the apple, and with a concentrated effort he split it cleanly in two.

"There we are!" He said proudly, offering the Mudkip a delicious looking piece of fruit. Henry took it, and the two Pokemon shared a moment of silence, savouring their food.

"You know-" Henry started, not wanting to sit in silence "I really am sorry for taking your bag before." He glanced away apologetically. "I just don't know how I got here, and the first two Pokemon I met tried to attack me."

Saurton looked at the water-type with a cool glare, before checking that his bag was, indeed, still slung over his back.

He looked back towards his sorrowful companion, all anger draining out of him in an instant.

"Well I guess it's for the best." He said in a resigned tone "Just help out here and I'll forgive you, how about that?"

Henry nodded happily, quickly scarfing down the rest of his fruit.

"I guess we should get going then."

The grass-type nodded his head in agreement, and together the two Pokemon continued deeper into the dungeon.

* * *

**Haunted Grove F3:**

The atmosphere was heavy and tense within the unhallowed woodland, as Saurton and Henry nervously continued on their search for the missing Happiny. Despite the complete lack of conflict, the forest had never seemed more dangerous. If anything, the two Pokemon were secretly hoping for a fight, if only to break the tension.

Saurton glanced around, taking in the sights around him. The trees had collapsed into complete mockeries of nature, twisting in on themselves almost endlessly, as though the plants themselves were in immense pain. Despite the canopy completely blocking out the sun, everything now seemed to glow with a disturbing purple light.

The pair of rescuers huddled together, each incredibly grateful for the company of the other in this moment as they trudged through the undergrowth, searching for any sign of the missing child.

"Hey Bulbasaur?" Henry started tentatively "This place seems really bad, what do we do if Happiny is..." He trailed off slightly, before sighing resignedly "If Happiny is dead?"

Saurton shuddered at the thought.

"Listen, Mudkip." He turned, addressing his partner face-to-face "We can't think about 'if' we find this kid alive, we have to think about 'when'."

The Bulbasaur turned back, facing forwards once more.

"Though I guess we'll have to try and bring back a body."

The statement hung in the air, somehow making the atmosphere even worse than it had been before, the shadows suddenly seemed even tighter and less friendly. The light becoming even spookier.

_"I really hope that's not the case."_ Henry thought, shuddering.

"Bulbasaur?"

Saurton turned again, facing his fearful partner.

"Hmm?"

"I'm really glad you're here with me."

Saurton shuddered at those words.

"Me too, Mudkip." He replied "Let's just find this kid and get out of here."

The two Pokemon continued in silence, the woods seeming to be just a little bit less oppressive than they had been a few moments earlier.

"So, Bulbasaur." Henry started, trying to ease the pair's tension "Where are y-"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Henry was interrupted by a blood-chilling scream, emanating from somewhere deeper in the woods.

The two Pokemon froze in shock, before Saurton quickly sprang into action.

"Come on, Mudkip! It sounds like someone's in trouble!"

With that call to action, the duo rushed deeper into the woodland.

* * *

**Haunted Grove End.**

"She does like to scream, doesn't she Gastly?"

"Hehehe… She sure does, Honedge. We haven't even done anything yet."

Two ghost Pokemon were floating in a small clearing. One was a weird ethereal ball, suspended inside a cloud of purple gas. It had a mean look in its eyes, and a large set of fangs inside its mouth.

The other was an incredibly ornate sword, bronze inscriptions covered the handle and sheath. A single, ever-staring eye sat in the centre of its crossguard, a long trailing piece of cloth attached to the end of the handle.

They were leering over a small frightened pink blob, who was covering her eyes and face in a vain hope that the evil duo would somehow disappear if she wasn't looking at them.

The ghosts, however, seemed to be getting even more enjoyment out of the torment that the poor Happiny was experiencing, twirling in the air and laughing maniacally.

"HEY YOU!"

The two ghosts whipped around towards the noise, seeing a pair of Pokemon standing before them resolutely. A Mudkip and a Bulbasaur.

Gastly and Honedge looked at each other for a second, before bursting into even more uproarious laughter.

"Gastly-" Honedge managed to wheeze "I think these two fancy themselves as some sort of heroes."

Gastly stared down at the two hopeful rescuers, amusement plain in his face.

"Then I think we should teach them what we do to interlopers."

With that, the two Pokemon started to glow with a bizarre energy, moving to attack.

Saurton and Henry tensed, preparing to move out of the way at a moment's notice. The two ghosts seemed to have other ideas, however. Gastly's eyes suddenly lit up with a mysterious energy as it stared at Saurton, seeming to transfer all of the fear and confusion that Happiny was feeling into a single terrifying gaze, firmly pinning the Bulbasaur in place.

Henry watched as Saurton went completely still.

"Hey Bulbasaur!" He said, panic starting to grip him "What's going on?"

Seizing the initiative, Honedge darted forwards, unsheathing for an instant and planting a nasty gash along Henry's side and sending the Mudkip flying painfully into a tree.

This impact snapped Saurton out of his daze, and he immediately retaliated with a powerful lash of his vines, aiming to slap Gastly, however the ghost simply floated up and out of the way, laughing as it did so.

While Saurton tried futilely to swat at the Gastly, Honedge sunk into the ground, phasing through the floor and coming up violently under the Bulbasaur, stunning him briefly. In that instant, Gastly floated down and planted a long tongue firmly on Saurton's face, licking him from ear to ear.

With the Bulbasaur thoroughly paralysed, the two ghosts laughed evilly, before tossing Saurton on top of Henry, who was struggling to stand.

The two ghosts rose up into the air, almost dancing with glee. They flew round in circles, clearly enjoying the pain that all three Pokemon below them were in.

"H-Hey Bulbasaur?" Henry asked weakly "You okay?"

The grass-type was unable to respond, however, the Gastly's lick had left him struggling to move or speak.

Henry cowered low in a panic, his eyes glued on the ghostly duo circling above them.

"I'm really sorry, Bulbasaur." He started "If I'd never taken your bag, we wouldn't be in this situation now."

The ghosts came to a stop, gleefully eyeing the two battered Pokemon below them.

"Hehehe! Well we sure showed them what for." The Gastly said, cackling madly.

"We sure did." The Honedge affirmed "I thought they'd put up a better fight though. A shame really."

The ethereal sword sounded almost disappointed, before moving up and down out of its sheath in an approximation of a shrug.

"Well let's just finish them and then get to work on the kid."

Gastly nodded, and together the two started charging some sort of spiritual energy between them.

Henry stared in abject horror.

"Bulbasaur-" He muttered, fear gripping him tightly "If we die here, I want you to know my name." He paused for a second, mustering the remainder of his courage. "It's Henry."

"Cool. Move now."

Henry felt himself get pulled aside by a pair of tendrils, attached to a very weak and stiff looking Bulbasaur.

Just as they moved, a large ball of shadow impacted the spot where they'd been just a moment before, causing earth to be thrown high into the air, and raining leaves down upon all the Pokemon in the clearing.

"Aww, Gastly! They moved!" Honedge mocked from above them. "Booo! Booo!"

Gastly just cackled.

Saurton and his Mudkip companion once again stood resolutely, if a little battered, in front of the two ghost Pokemon.

"We aren't going to let you hurt Happiny." Saurton stubbornly declared, before turning and whispering to his partner.

"Right, Henry. You need to blast the Gastly with a water gun. If I can grab the Honedge, I can take him out of the picture. Alright?"

Henry nodded, dreading the sensation of firing water out of his mouth.

"Let's get these pricks."

The two Pokemon jumped into action, a powerful jet of water suddenly blasting Gastly out of the sky, mid laugh.

Honedge seemed to jump in surprise, before immediately rushing towards the offending Mudkip. He was pulled from the sky, however, the main body of his sword being kept contained within the scabbard by a powerful lashing of vines.

Just like that, the battle seemed to have turned around entirely. Gastly tried to float back up, only to be yet again planted into the ground by a powerful stream of liquid. Saurton, meanwhile, was repeatedly lifting Honedge into the air before slamming him painfully into the ground.

Before long, the ghost Pokemon lay in a painful heap.

"Hehehe… Ouch. We got roughed up, eh Honedge?" Gastly weakly laughed, before scrunching his face up in pain. "Let's get out of here."

Without another word, the two Pokemon vanished into the air.

Saurton and Henry immediately collapsed in a heap, exhausted from the arduous encounter, before a quiet crying caught their attention. The pair glanced over at Happiny, who had been sitting, face covered, for the entire fight.

With a grunt, Henry stood, walking over to the scared normal-type.

"H-Hey there!" He said weakly, putting on his best attempt at a smile "We're here to save you, your mum's really worried about you."

Happiny took her hands away from her eyes, looking up at the smiling Mudkip.

"A-are you a r-rescue team?" She sniffled.

"Not quite, but we're here to help anyway." Saurton walked up, adding his own smile.

The Happiny sat for a second, wiping away her tears, before shakily getting to her feet.

"O-Okay." She nervously said "P-Please get me out of here."

With a relieved sigh, Henry and Saurton started their trek back through the mystery dungeon, now seeming a lot more peaceful and a lot less dangerous.

* * *

The two weary Pokemon, child in tow, stumbled out of the dungeon, feeling unbelievably relieved that the ordeal was over. They were immediately accosted by Chansey, who had been waiting impatiently just outside of the grove.

"Oh my baby!" She scooped Happiny up in her arms "Don't ever leave like that again!"

The two cried all over each other, happy to be reunited once more. Henry and Saurton simply stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Luckily, Chansey seemed to notice the pair.

"You two." She said "I can't ever thank you enough. I don't have much in the way of a reward, but the two of you simply must stay with me tonight. It's the least I can do."

Henry and Saurton glanced at each other, before nodding weakly, too tired and sore to turn down such an offer. And with that, they all set off into the uncorrupted woodland, away from the Haunted Grove and all the evil which existed within.

Just as the sky was starting to turn dark, the trees seemed to vanish, revealing a modest dwelling, clearly built into the ground and extending underneath.

"Well here we are." Chansey said, throwing open the door, and gesturing everyone inside. "I'll get some food ready. Please make yourselves at home."

Henry and Saurton stumbled across the threshold, revealing a well decorated homestead, flowers and plants were commonplace, adorning almost every surface. The two Pokemon wandered into the main room of the home, a large circular space, with a large, comfortable looking pile of straw in the middle.

The tired pair wandered over and collapsed on the straw in a heap; too exhausted to keep standing for any longer.

"Hey Henry?" Saurton started "My name's Saurton." The Bulbasaur glanced over at his partner, who was looking at him with an incredulous expression. "Just thought you should know, since you told me your name and all."

Henry nodded.

"Nice... Pleased to meet you, Saurton."

"Likewise, Henry."

The two Pokemon then sat there in a blissful silence, before Chansey burst into the room - her child not far behind. She had a large plate of assorted fruits and berries clutched in her hands.

"Tuck in, heroes!" She exclaimed happily, planting the plate down in front of them. The two tired quadrupeds hesitated for only a second, before ravenously chowing down on the delicious platter of food before them.

After a few moments of greedily having their fill, the duo slowed down, taking more time between bites.

"So you live here then?" Henry started, eager to break the silence.

Chansey nodded.

"Oh yes!" She said proudly "My partner and I built this place many years ago. It's not much, but it's home."

Chansey's eyes fell for a moment, her smile faltering.

"He's passed on now, but we try to keep the house in good shape, don't we Happiny?"

The smaller Pokemon nodded vigorously, between bites of a large rawst berry.

"Yes mama!" She said happily "Papa would want it to be clean and nice."

A moment of awkward silence fell over the assembled Pokemon.

"So, uh, did you get your egg rock back then, Happiny?" Saurton asked, desperate to relieve the tension in the room.

Happiny looked at the grass-type, confusion sprawled across her face.

"What do you mean, Mr Bulbasaur?" She wiped berry juice from around her face. "I never lost my egg?" She produced a small white rock, proudly showing it off.

"Wha-" Saurton shook his head "Why did you go into the mystery dungeon then?"

The smile disappeared from Happiny's face.

"The scary Pokemon said that they had something cool to show me, so I followed them."

Henry and Saurton faulted, while Chansey just looked at her child in disappointment.

"Happiny." She said sternly "I told you not to trust strangers."

The smaller Pokemon cringed under the stern gaze of her mother.

"Yes mama…" She muttered.

"Anyway!" Chansey brightened up, turning to address the two rescuers. "You're welcome to stay here tonight, we're going to go to bed now though. Thank you again for your help today."

Saurton nodded.

"Anytime. Thank you for letting us stay here."

Chansey beamed, before she and Happiny both left the room, leaving the two starter Pokemon in an easy silence.

Henry stretched out on the straw, wiggling his fins in a satisfying manner before curling up into a tight ball.

" _What a strange day."_ He thought to himself _"I'm glad I was able to do some good though, even if I did have to shoot water out of my mouth."_ He shuddered at that memory. _"Still. I wonder what I'm going to do now?"_

Henry's train of thought was interrupted by Saurton, who was sprawled out on his stomach.

"Hey, Henry?" He started, getting a little grunt from the Mudkip in response. "I was on my way to sign up for the rescue guild in Hope Village today, before all this." The Bulbasaur glanced over at his companion. "And- Well I'll just cut to the chase. I couldn't have beaten those two ghosts without you earlier, so I was wondering if you wanted to sign up with me, as a team?"

At this, Henry looked over curiously at Saurton, who was nervously awaiting his response.

" _A rescue team?"_ He wondered. _"It's something to do, I suppose. And I'll be doing good, although…"_

"I'd love to, Saurton, but the rescue guild probably thinks I'm an outlaw after that whole debacle yesterday."

The Bulbasaur seemed to contemplate that for a moment.

"Well if it was all a misunderstanding." He looked at Henry for a second, worriedly "It was a misunderstanding, right?"

The Mudkip nodded furiously, and Saurton relaxed.

"Well since you aren't actually an outlaw, I'm certain we can work things out." He looked at Henry, a resolute gleam in his eyes. "This is our chance to help people. I think we'd be great together!"

" _He does make a convincing argument."_ Henry reasoned to himself _"And besides, it's not like I really have anywhere else to go."_

With his mind made up, Henry turned to his partner.

"Saurton, I'd be happy to."

At those words, Saurton suddenly rocketed up, startling the water-type.

"YES!" The Bulbasaur shouted, excitedly dancing around the room. "Oh Henry, we're going to be the best rescue team ever. You won't regret this, I promise."

Henry just looked at the grass-type in stunned silence.

"Uh-Huh." He said perplexedly "How about we get some sleep first though?"

Saurton looked at the ground sheepishly.

"Of course…" He muttered, his face turning a dark shade of green in embarrassment "Sorry."

With a nod of acknowledgement from his teammate, Saurton lay back down and quickly faded off into a blissful slumber.

" _Well that was an exciting day."_ Henry thought to himself, before tiredness started to overtake him, and he too faded off into a calm sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya!
> 
> This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous one, I can only apologise for that. The original draft for this chapter was quite gritty, which I decided was far too edgy, considering the tone I'm going for, so I rewrote most of the time in the Haunted Grove.
> 
> Next chapter should be a bit longer (and hopefully better - action scenes are hard.)
> 
> Stay safe
> 
> -Candlewick


	4. Chapter 3: Team Saviours

"Good luck! Thank you for everything!"

Henry and Saurton were feeling bright and cheery, as they were waved off by Chansey and Happiny on their journey - the small homestead quickly disappearing amongst the trees as the duo reached the woodland path once more. The two companions were well rested and prepared for the day ahead, having been given a large amount of supplies by a very grateful Chansey.

Together, the Pokemon started their hike up the trail.

"So, according to Chansey, we're less than a day's walk away from Hope Village and the guild." Saurton explained to his partner, "It would be nice to get there and be able to register as a team before it gets too late, so we can look around a bit. Maybe meet some of the other Pokemon training with us."

Henry nodded enthusiastically and the grass-type continued.

"Also we want to save money." He said, rummaging around his satchel and checking his funds. "I don't really want to have to rent a place to sleep for the night, and I know that the guild gives free accommodation to its members."

Henry nodded once more.

"So do you actually know what the guild is like?" The Mudkip asked inquisitively.

Saurton paused for a second, before answering.

"Well… Kind of?" He said, clearly uncertain. "I haven't ever actually been there in person." The grass-type explained, "But I've asked a bunch of people about it, and they told me a lot."

"Well do you know what kind of Pokemon will be there?" The water-type asked, "What they're like? Stuff like that?"

Saurton looked at him, confused, before shaking his head in realisation.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you weren't from around here." He said, "Don't worry, I'll explain."

The Bulbasaur took a deep breath, before spouting a cavalcade of information.

"The head of the guild is Aggron." The grass-type started, "He's meant to be one of the strongest Pokemon in the whole world. They say his armour is capable of standing up to even the most powerful hydro pump from even the deadliest Blastoise. Apparently he once rescued an entire town by himself, by fighting off a pack of thirty wild Houndoom at once!"

Saurton stopped, stars in his eyes as he spoke about the incredible feats, before he shook his head and continued.

"Even though Aggron is clearly the best, there are some other notable Pokemon to mention." The Bulbasaur explained, "Flygon is Aggron's second in command, she's really strong too - I mean she must be, to be second in command to such a cool and powerful Pokemon! Aggron is-"

"Hold up."

Henry interrupted his companion before they could go off on another tirade about the guild leader.

"What has Flygon done then?" The Mudkip asked, eager to steer the conversation away from his companion's favourite celebrity.

Saurton shrugged slightly. "I don't really know, to be honest. She and Aggron are apparently inseparable though, so she has to have at least a few cool stories."

Saurton shook his head.

"Anyway!" He said finally, "Those are the two main Pokemon at the guild, they run everything."

Henry was silent for a moment, processing the new information which had been fed to him.

"So is there anything else I need to know about, so I don't look like an idiot later down the line?" He asked.

"Probably." Saurton responded nonchalantly, "But you'll figure it out as you go." The Bulbasaur turned and eyed his partner curiously. "Where are you from, anyway? I forgot to ask yesterday, but you're clearly not from around here."

Henry shuddered. The one question he'd been dreading had finally been asked.

" _What am I meant to tell him?!"_ He thought panickedly, _"I mean I guess the truth. It can't hurt that much, can it…?"_

"To be entirely honest, Saurton." The Mudkip started, not wanting to lie to his new friend, "I have absolutely no idea. My memory is quite fuzzy when it comes to most of my past."

The grass-type looked at him with a blank expression, before sighing.

"I get it." He said resignedly, "If you've ended up here then you've clearly run from something." Saurton looked at his companion and gave an encouraging smile. "That's okay though, you can tell me whenever you feel comfortable."

"No, I mean it." Henry said, eager to correct this misunderstanding, "I woke up here two days ago with only a couple of intact memories, like my name and the ability to recognise Pokemon species."

That made Saurton pause. He looked at his Mudkip partner with a disbelieving expression.

"You're being completely honest with me right now, Henry?"

Henry nodded.

"Huh." Saurton stood for a second, seeming to run over the information in his mind, before he suddenly started dancing around excitedly, "That's so COOL!" He exclaimed loudly, "You're like a living mystery! This is so awesome, we have to solve you, it'll be a big adventure and-"

Henry stared in shock at the Bulbasaur who was dancing around, completely lost in his own world. Needless to say, of all the reactions he had been expecting from his partner, this was not one of them.

"Uh- Sure" He said, completely baffled at the scene before him.

Saurton stopped dancing for a moment and looked at his partner, wonder in his eyes.

"Don't you think this is fantastic?" The Bulbasaur asked, "It's like a cryptic ancient puzzle! We _have_ to figure this one out!"

Henry looked at the Pokemon before him, confusion etched on his face.

"I mean, yeah. I guess…?" He said, completely baffled. "One thing at a time though, eh? Let's focus on doing this rescuing thing first and figure my past out later."

That seemed to snap Saurton back to reality, the excited look in his eyes now replaced with a contemplative one.

"You're right." The seed Pokemon said resignedly "We need to figure out something believable to tell people though, about where you're from." He glanced at Henry apologetically, "No offense, but I don't think amnesia is something that many people will buy into."

Henry shot his partner a reassuring smile.

"None taken."

Saurton nodded.

"Alright then, Henry. Do you remember anything at all about where you're from? Any details about anything that may help us figure it out?"

The Mudkip searched through his limited memories, desperately searching for anything that could aid them in creating a believable backstory, only to come up almost entirely blank.

"I lived near a river, I think…?" Henry's face scrunched up in disgust, imagining the flowing liquid. He repressed a shudder, before falling deep into thought once more. "No, that's it I think." The water-type glanced at his partner sorrowfully.

"Hmm…" Saurton muttered to himself, deep in concentration, before looking at his partner brightly. "Nope! I got nothing!" He said happily, "Guess that means we're in for a cool mystery together then!"

Henry faulted; his partner's cheerfulness would have been infuriating if it wasn't so contagious. The Mudkip sighed, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"Alright then, where are we telling people I'm from?" He asked, wanting to get this whole ordeal over with.

"Oh I guess we'll just tell them you're from a different continent, any one will do. I doubt anyone will actually check you on it." Saurton responded in a carefree tone, "How about the Air Continent? I think that works."

Henry just looked at his partner in silence, completely dumbfounded by how relaxed he was being about this.

Saurton looked back towards his companion, taking note of the flabbergasted look on the Mudkip's face.

"Cool!" He said happily, "You'll tell everyone you're from the Air Continent then."

The Bulbasaur started happily dancing up the path, before turning back for a second and gesturing to his partner.

"Come on, Henry. We need to be in Hope Village before sundown if we want to have a shot at signing up today."

With a shake of his head, the Mudkip followed his teammate, and together the two Pokemon continued their travels.

Soon enough, the trees began to fade. The scenery now replaced with a large sprawling flatland. On the horizon Henry could make out what appeared to be a large town of some sort, with a small range of hills just beyond it.

"There it is!" Saurton exclaimed happily, "Hope Village! Come on, Henry, it looks like we'll make it with time to spare!"

The grass-type excitedly bounded along the trail, Henry not far behind.

* * *

Hope Village was a large town, hardly able to fit the moniker of being a village any more. It was a bustling hub of activity, Pokemon traveling every which way, all hurriedly going about their business.

The town looked medieval in style, cobbled roads and Tudor-style houses were everywhere to behold. On the skyline, the steeple of a church was plainly visible.

Henry and Saurton simply walked through the town, dumbfounded at the sights before them, just taking in the atmosphere of a busy city. Before long, they had become lost in the maze of streets, simply walking from area to area with no real idea of where they were.

"Uh, Saurton?" Henry asked, as he stared at a particularly large Tyranitar walking past with a cart of berries, "Where's the guild building? Where are we actually going?"

The Bulbasaur stopped, frowning.

"I don't actually know." He said with a laugh, "I just kind of figured we'd find it once we got here. Apparently it's a big castle."

Henry glanced around, unable to see any building which could possibly fit that description.

"Maybe we should ask someone for directions?" He suggested.

Saurton nodded in response.

"Good plan."

The duo stopped the next Pokemon they saw - a small, round, purple Pokemon with large ears, each tipped in yellow. It had short stubby arms, as well as large feet, without any noticeable legs. It had small eyes that seemed to squint, and it was looking very cheery indeed.

"Excuse me." Henry started "We're new in town, would you mind please giving us directions to the guild building?"

The Whismur turned, surprised to have been addressed.

"New in town, eh?" She said with a chuckle, "I'm actually headed to the guild now; I'd be happy to take you, if you like. Follow me!"

The Whismur motioned for the two starters to accompany her, and together the group started their journey through the sprawling web of streets and alleyways.

"So what'cha doing at the guild then?" Whismur asked curiously.

"Well we actually wanted to sign up as apprentices." Saurton replied, "Form our own rescue team. How about you?"

Whismur turned and gave the two Pokemon a big grin.

"Well I actually work there!" She said enthusiastically, "I'm an apprentice alongside my other team members, so you could be workin' with us. Wouldn't that be swell?"

Saurton looked on with wide-eyed amazement, clearly thrilled to have found such a knowledgeable guide. Henry, on the other hand, was a bit more reserved.

" _A Whismur?"_ He thought to himself, _"Uh-oh. I really hope this isn't who I think this is."_

"So Whismur." The Mudkip asked innocently, "What's your team called then?"

"Oh, we're team Cacophony." The normal-type replied, "I'm meant to do a cool motto and a dance when people ask, but I really can't be bothered, so I won't."

"That's a really cool name." Saurton said, eyes full of wonder, "Don't you think that's cool, Mudkip?"

"Oh-Uh...Yeah!" Henry managed to splutter, somewhat convincingly. Internally he was panicking horribly.

" _No! Why?"_ He thought bitterly _"Why, of all the bad luck, did we have to stumble across this particular Pokemon?!"_ He glanced around, searching desperately for a way out of his predicament.

"-ou think?"

Henry turned to see his two companions looking at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" The water-type managed to say, turning a deep shade of blue, "I was miles away."

Saurton sighed.

"We were brainstorming team names." The Bulbasaur explained patiently, "I said 'Team Hopeful sounds cool, what do you think?'"

"Uh- Sure…?" Henry stammered out, "I think that works?"

"Hmm, I'm afraid not." Whismur interrupted the two Pokemon, "Team Hopeful is already taken by one of the other apprentice teams." She glanced apologetically at the Pokemon following her. "Sorry."

Saurton hung his head disappointedly.

"Ah well." He said sadly, "We'll figure something out I guess."

The Pokemon continued walking, and Henry slipped back into deep thought.

" _I've got to figure out a way to get rid of this Pokemon somehow."_ The Mudkip thought to himself in a panic, _"Maybe if we run out of time to apply today? They may just show us the guild building and then we can sign up tomorrow, without any chance of running into the rest of Team Cacophony."_ He nodded to himself in determination, _"Yes. That's it."_

"Excuse me, Whismur?" Henry asked, interrupting a conversation between his two companions. Whismur turned, acknowledging the query, "If there's time, could you please show us around the town before we head to the guild? We'd love to get our bearings."

"Wha-" Saurton started to protest, but Henry shot him a hard look. "Um, yeah…" The Bulbasaur said, "We'd really like to see the town…?"

Whismur looked at the two Pokemon in confusion.

"I mean, I have people to meet." She started, before shrugging. "I guess it can't hurt though, they won't mind me being late if it's to help people out." She paused, mulling over her options, before seeming to settle on one she was happy with. "Alright then, fellas, follow me! I'll give y'all a quick tour."

The normal-type led the two Pokemon down a series of streets, before the cramped scenery of houses suddenly disappeared, revealing a busy market square - Pokemon of all species were gathered, going about their business in some form or another.

"Here we are!" Whismur said proudly, "This is Pokemon Plaza, the main hub for all activity in the area. You'll want to get quite familiar with it, if you're starting a rescue team." She beckoned the two Pokemon to follow her. "Come on, I'll show you the shops."

The trio started their foray into the bustling square, activity all around them. Whismur gestured at a nearby stall - a large store front, with Pokemon crowded around it. A large canopy in the shape of a lizard's head hung over the shop.

"That's the Kecleon Shop." Whismur explained, "The queues are long, but for good reason - The Kecleon brothers will almost always have everything you need in stock. They seem to have a near endless supply of items."

The three Pokemon eyed the size of the crowd in awe.

"I'd recommend getting here early though." The normal-type added, "You'll avoid the worst of the rush."

The two starters nodded, dumbfounded by the sheer amount of Pokemon all trying to access the shop.

"Anyway! Onwards we go!" The Whismur gestured to another shop, this one more subtle - merely a door in the side of a building, with a simple wooden sign above it, covered in writing that Henry didn't understand - some sort of footprints.

"The Shuck Shack?" Saurton queried, eyes fixed on the sign.

Whismur nodded happily.

"Yep!" She exclaimed, "Shuckle can ferment berries inside their shells, this one has opened the best tavern this side of the continent. Trust me, you'll want to come here after a stressful or successful mission." Whismur shot them both a grin, before continuing.

"Over there is the Klinklang Bank." Whismur gestured to an important looking building sitting at the head of the square, before she turned to address her two companions. "I don't suppose you guys have a bank account yet, do you?"

Two head shakes confirmed the normal-type's suspicions.

"Well let's go and get you one set up then!" She said happily, before bouncing excitedly towards the building, two baffled starter Pokemon in tow.

* * *

The inside of the bank was a sight to behold - a large ornate room, with a golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Several desks sat in the centre of the room, each being staffed by a different member of the Klink evolutionary line. There were a dozen or so Pokemon of varying species, each queuing at one of the desks.

Whismur ushered her two companions towards the end of one of the lines, and there the Pokemon waited patiently until they were called forwards.

"Greetings." A dull metallic voice droned, belonging to the Klang behind the desk. "State your business."

"Howdy, Klang!" Whismur said enthusiastically, "My two pals here need to open a joint account - they're going to become a rescue team, see?"

The steel-type considered this information, before opening a hatch in the side of the desk and gesturing the trio through.

"You will be shown the type of vault where your possessions will be stored." Klang stated, "This will include both money and material possessions. You may then decide if you wish to open an account. Is this acceptable?"

"I, uh, yeah…?" Saurton said unsurely.

"Very good. This way." The Klang started to float down a large set of stairs, the trio of Pokemon following behind.

At the bottom was a labyrinthine set of passageways, each lined with dozens of steel doors. Directly at the foot of the stairs sat another desk, this one staffed by a large black and purple pig, with two black pearls atop its head.

"This is Grumpig." Klang explained, the Pokemon in question giving them a friendly nod. "He provides top of the line psychic security for the bank, preventing any teleportation into, or out of the vaults." The gear Pokemon started to float down one of the many passageways which now branched out underground, the trio following close behind.

"The floors and walls here are reinforced with solid steel, to prevent any ground-types from burrowing in." The banker continued to explain the security measures, "Additionally the steel is infused with ghost-type energy, to prevent any of them from phasing into the building. As an extra measure to counter ghosts, we also employ a number of Sableye to keep watch for any intruders."

The gear Pokemon stopped suddenly in front of one of the doors, almost causing the Pokemon behind to bump into it.

"This would be your vault, if you opened an account." The steel-type explained, before inserting itself into a crevice in the wall, spinning rapidly and causing the heavy metal door to rise into the ceiling.

"As a final security measure-" The Klang explained, popping out of the wall again - much to the surprise of the two starter Pokemon, "We ensure that vault doors can only be opened by a member of the Klink line joining with the locking mechanism itself."

Henry and Saurton stared in awe, Whismur merely giggled.

"It's still as cool as it was the first time." She muttered happily.

Klang ignored the normal-type, instead droning on about the specific dimensions of the room and the manner in which items would be stored, all of which went completely over the heads of the assembled trio.

"Is this acceptable?" The steel-type asked, turning back towards his clients.

Henry and Saurton nodded slowly.

"Sure…?" The Bulbasaur said, still not quite understanding anything that had been presented to him.

"Excellent." Klang stated, spinning in the air happily, "Please accompany me upstairs again, there we will sort out a contract for you." Klang turned towards Whismur. "I'm afraid you will have to wait in the lobby. This next part will be strictly confidential."

Whismur nodded, and the group ascended back into the main bank lobby where they left the normal-type.

"Please follow me." Klang stated, leading the two partners into a small office room, where a small table sat, a pot of ink atop it. A small trough of water was also placed against the wall, making Henry shudder. "If you would please wait here, I shall obtain a contract for you." Klang said, before leaving the two partners alone.

"So what's your problem with Whismur?" Saurton asked his companion, as soon as their guide had left the room, "She's not a crook, is she?"

Henry shook his head, turning quite a deep shade of blue in embarrassment.

"I-Uh. You know how I had that outlaw misunderstanding?" He muttered nervously.

Saurton nodded, realisation starting to creep across his face.

"It was Team Cacophony, wasn't it?" The Bulbasaur asked, his partner nodding in confirmation. "But then why didn't Whismur recognise you?"

"Well I only met the other two members of the team - Voltorb and Chingling - so that's proba-"

The Mudkip was interrupted by Klang reentering the room, a piece of parchment secured between its gears.

"Here is the contract, please read it thoroughly." The Klang placed the document down on the desk, "Please use the ink provided to place paw-print stamps on the signature line."

Henry looked at the paper, only to find that it was covered in the same incomprehensible writing as the sign before.

"Uh, Saurton?" He whispered to his partner, "What does it say?"

Saurton frowned.

"You can't read?" He whispered back.

Henry's face flushed.

"It's not my fault that I have no memory!" The Mudkip said bitterly.

"Yeah, but not being able to read? Seriously?!"

"Look, I'm sorry. Now can you please just read the contract?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll have to teach you at some point though."

The two friends' conversation had escalated beyond whispers; Klang merely floated there impassively, not caring about the discussion going on in front of him.

Saurton started to read the contract; it was a long document, no doubt filled to the brim with dense legal jargon. Once he reached the end, the grass-type dipped his foreleg into the ink jar and placed a clear footprint on the dotted line at the bottom, before gesturing for his companion to do the same. Henry obliged, dipping his foot into the ink and also signing the document.

"Excellent!" Klang said, no emotion present in his voice, "Your account number will be 7838. Remember this." The floating set of cogs gestured to the pot of water, "You may use the water provided to clean the ink off your paws. I will escort you back to the lobby once you are ready."

Saurton walked over to the trough, hopping up on his hind legs and using his vines to scrub at his limb. Henry, on the other hand, simply stood there, refusing to go anywhere near the evil liquid.

Saurton looked at his partner, confused.

"You aren't going to wash your feet?" He asked perplexedly.

"No." Henry responded, eyes transfixed on the water, locking it in a death-glare. "I-Uh. I really, really, _really_ cannot overstate how much I despise the liquid with a passion." The Mudkip flushed, clearly embarrassed, "I know that's a weird phobia - especially for a water Pokemon - but I'd sooner die than wash my paw off in that water."

Saurton took a long look at his partner, before hopping down from the trough.

"Well okay then." He said, clearly baffled. "You're probably the strangest Pokemon I've ever met."

"If you dislike water-" Klang stated, cutting across the confusion, "I will take you to an office with a cleaning device normally used for ground-types." The gears Pokemon bowed apologetically, "I assumed that this office would be suitable, considering your types. I apologise for my mistake. Follow me please, Mudkip."

Klang started to head towards the room's exit, two starters following close behind. The steel-type led them down a short corridor, stopping halfway down at a closed door. Klang opened the door, revealing a similar office to the previous one, however in place of a water trough, there was a bed of sand.

"Normally this office is reserved for ground and rock-types, since they have a natural weakness and fear of water." Klang explained, "However you may also use this, due to your phobia."

"That's very kind of you." Henry said gratefully, walking over to the sand, and rubbing the ink off of his paw as best he could - successfully cleaning the black goop off of his foot, though leaving him incredibly dusty and mucky.

"That's so much better." Saurton sarcastically remarked, rolling his eyes at his companion.

"Hey!" Henry exclaimed, ruffled at the remark, "Imagine if you had to wash your paw off in a stream of fire! It wouldn't be nice."

Saurton flinched at the image. Klang interjected before he could respond, however.

"We do have lava pools for fire-types who are weak to both ground and water." The steel-type said matter-of-factly, "You are welcome to use those, if you wish."

Saurton paled.

"P-Point taken." He said nervously, turning to address the banker. "May we go now please?"

"Certainly." Klang affirmed, "I hope your banking experience was satisfactory."

With that final statement, the Klang led the two Pokemon back into the main lobby, where Whismur was patiently waiting.

"Holy Mew!" She exclaimed, upon seeing the muddy state Henry was in, "What in Arceus' name did they do to you?" The Whismur was barely containing her amusement.

"He's a water-type who doesn't like water." Saurton explained in a resigned tone, "So he took a sand-bath to clean the ink off his paw."

Whismur burst into uproarious laughter, startling the other Pokemon all waiting in line at the bank.

"A Mudkip who hates water!" She managed to wheeze, "That's a new one!" The normal-type collapsed into another fit of giggles, Saurton joining in and chuckling too. Henry just looked on in quiet annoyance.

"Alright, alright. Laugh it up." He said, completely unamused, "It's a disgusting evil liquid from hell though, and you'll be laughing on the other side of your faces when it comes alive and gets you."

This simply caused the Mudkip's two companions to break out into another fit of laughter, even louder than the first.

Henry just huffed impatiently.

"Right." Whismur managed to say, wiping the tears away from her eyes, "That's enough wasted time, I need to show you folks to the guild. Come on."

The group walked out of the bank into a quieter Pokemon Plaza - the sky was now a deep red, almost dark.

The normal-type looked up at the dusk sky.

"Dang." She said thoughtfully, "We were in there longer than I thought we'd be."

"Oh no." Henry said, doing his best to feign disappointment, "I guess there won't be time to sign up for the guild today." He let out a dramatic sigh, "Ah well, we'll do it tomorrow. Thank you for showing us around today though, Whismur. It was great."

Whismur simply looked at the Mudkip in confusion.

"Of course there's time to sign up today." She stated, Henry balking at the fact. "The guild never closes, I mean how would nocturnal Pokemon ever get anything done if the guild closed after dark?"

Henry mentally slapped himself for not realising such an obvious fact, while Whismur gestured for the two Pokemon to follow her.

"We'll figure it out, okay?" Saurton whispered to his companion as he walked past, following their guide.

Henry shook his head resignedly, before trudging after his two companions, through the town.

* * *

Just as the sky started to turn black, the assorted Pokemon found themselves on the outskirts of Hope Village, at the foot of a wide and well-worn stone path. The road stretched up a small hill, at the top of which stood a large, imposing castle of some sort, illuminated by a large series of torches placed around the walls.

"Tada!" Whismur said proudly, throwing her arms wide as if to present the fortress to her companions, "Here we are, the guild building. Come on, I'll take you in - y'all can meet the rest of my team after you're done signing up!"

Whismur started bounding happily up the path, Henry and Saurton looking on in excitement and fear.

"So this is it then, Henry." Saurton said, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, "Moment of truth." He gave a resolute nod to his partner. "Let's do this!"

" _I really hope this doesn't go horribly."_ Henry thought to himself cynically, and the trio started their short walk to the guild building.

It was an impressive sight. Tall, thick walls surrounded a central courtyard, with several stone buildings of varying shapes and sizes dotted about the interior of the walls - the largest being a gigantic central keep, tall enough to even tower over the walls.

All of this was visible through a large arched gate that the small group of Pokemon were now walking through.

"So I'll take you into the keep." Whismur explained, "It's the main hub for everything that happens here, so you can sign up as a rescue team there."

The whisper Pokemon led the two starters to the front door of the keep which, upon closer inspection, was actually several doors of varying shapes and sizes all built into each other and clearly created to accommodate for Pokemon of many different species.

Whismur opened one of the smaller doors and ushered the pair inside. The interior of the keep was a vast open room, the ceiling stood easily several metres high, with a tall, winding staircase visible in one corner, leading to an upstairs area. On the wall opposite the door, was a large billboard, stretching all the way to the ceiling - it was covered from top to bottom in pieces of paper.

There were about a dozen Pokemon of varying species, all queuing in front of two small desks which sat against the wall, just to the side of the billboard. Each desk was staffed by a very bored looking Pokemon - A Volbeat on the left and an Illumise on the right. They were both stamping documents, and handing out slips of paper to the Pokemon queued at their desks.

"Come on." Whismur said, dragging the two awestruck Pokemon over to the end of one of the queues, "You can get signed up here."

The group waited in line, Henry growing increasingly more nervous with each place they gained in the queue.

" _What if they throw me in prison?"_ He thought panickedly, _"I can't go there!"_

"Next."

Before he had time to panic any further, however, the group had reached the front of the line. Henry and Saurton found themselves standing in front of a very bored looking Illumise.

"What's your business?" The bug droned, probably unable to sound less interested if he tried.

"The two of them want to start a rescue team." Whismur spoke for the pair, "I'd appreciate if you could get them signed up."

Illumise looked at the two starter Pokemon through tired eyes.

"So is that a team of Mudkip and Bulbasaur?" He asked.

"Y- Yes" Saurton managed to splutter, tripping over his own words in excitement, "We'd love to form a team please."

"Name?" Illumise idly asked, filling in a form of some sort, written in the same funny symbols that Henry couldn't understand.

"Excuse me?" Saurton said, puzzled.

"Your team name." The bug clarified, letting out a long exasperated sigh, "What will it be?"

"Oh, uh…?" The Bulbasaur looked to his teammate for support.

"Team Saviours!" Henry blurted out suddenly, surprising even himself.

The Illumise pulled out a large logbook, flipping through it and pausing on a couple of pages.

"Hmm… Hasn't actually been taken yet. Surprising." The bug-type nodded happily to himself, the first real emotion that any of the assembled Pokemon had noticed from him. "Alright then, Team Saviours, are you registering to train with the guild, or as independents?"

"Oh, as trainees please." Saurton responded excitedly.

The Illumise flicked through a couple of papers, reading them thoroughly, before turning once more to the Pokemon in front of him.

"Alright then, first available meeting with the guildmaster is tomorrow at dawn." The bug-type explained, "You'll have an interview where he'll decide your eligibility." Illumise placed a slip of paper on the desk, "Here's your reference number, the guildmaster's office is upstairs, first door on your left. Next!"

"Wait hang on!" Saurton spluttered, "Tomorrow?!"

Illumise huffed impatiently.

"Yes. Tomorrow. Aggron has retired for the night, you'll have to wait."

"B-But what about the nocturnal Pokemon?" Saurton protested, "How do they join?"

Illumise let out a long groan.

"This guild does not offer nocturnal training." The irritable insect said, "Moreover, you aren't nocturnal Pokemon. Now if you'd please hurry up, there are Pokemon behind you and I'd quite like to finish my shift and go to bed."

Saurton turned to see a very tired looking Quagsire glaring at him.

"O-Okay. Thank you."

Saurton grabbed the slip of paper and placed it in his satchel, before the trio of Pokemon hurriedly left the queue, eager not to cause any problems.

"Well that sucks." Henry said, inwardly relieved, "I guess we'll be back tomorrow then. It was lovely to meet you though, Whismur. Thank you for showing us around today."

"Oh it's no problem." Whismur replied, "You should bunk with me and my team tonight though, it'd save you money for a room."

Henry paled, desperately racking his brains for a good excuse, only to be saved by Saurton.

"That's very kind of you, Whismur." The seed Pokemon started, "But surely something like that is against guild rules."

"Oh nuts to the rules!" Whismur scoffed, "It's only one night. Besides, it'd be good to introduce you to the rest of the team, you'll be working with us after all."

She gave them a hard look.

"I won't take no for an answer."

The starter Pokemon gulped.

"I-Uh… We'd be happy to then." Henry said, forcing a smile onto his rapidly paling face - Saurton looking much the same.

Whismur gave the two Pokemon a big grin.

"Great!" She said happily, "They're really easy to get along with, don't worry."

With that gleeful remark, the normal-type bounced happily out of the keep, in the direction of a long, narrow, barracks-like building, Team Saviours following nervously behind.

Together the Pokemon reached the building, Whismur throwing open the door to reveal a long corridor with several rooms visible down the length of it.

"This is the living quarters for trainees." The whisper Pokemon explained, "Teams bunk together in their own rooms, so you can stay with us. It might be a little cramped, but I'm sure the others won't mind."

Whismur stopped in front of a door about halfway down the length of the building.

"Here we are, fellas!"

She swung the door open, revealing a decently sized room, with three beds of straw arranged neatly on the ground. The room was well-lit by a glowing lantern placed in the corner. There were two Pokemon already present in the room, having a whispered conversation; they immediately jumped bolt upright upon noticing Whismur enter the room.

"W-Whismur!" Chingling jumped up, rushing towards his teammate angrily, "Where have you been? We-We've been waiting for you all day!"

"Affirmative." Voltorb also chimed in, "Due to your lack of punctuality, we will not receive the required amount of sleep to perform at maximum efficiency tomorrow."

Whismur just grinned at her team, unperturbed by their annoyance.

"Well howdy to you too!" She said jovially, "I was helping some newbies out around town."

She threw her arms wide, revealing Henry and Saurton.

"Allow me to introduce Mudkip and Bulbasaur!" She said proudly, "They just signed up as a training team, so they'll be working with us!"

Chingling and Voltorb didn't respond, instead staring at Henry in disbelief.

Henry stared back, trying his absolute hardest to keep his expression calm, but failing spectacularly.

Whismur looked back and forth between the two parties in confusion.

"Well aren't you gonna say hello…?" She asked tentatively.

There was silence.

"H-Hi…" Saurton managed to mutter, with a nervous laugh.

Nobody paid him any mind, however, and the silence continued.

Whismur frowned, her cheery expression now replaced with a look of annoyance.

"Would you mind telling me - WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THE REGIS IS YOU GUYS' PROBLEM!" She suddenly hollered, making all the assembled Pokemon - bar Voltorb - jump in surprise, and likely waking up everyone else in the building.

"That Mudkip with you is an OUTLAW!" Chingling shouted back, venom clear in his voice, "I don't know what LIES they fed you, but he's a no-good CROOK!"

Henry flinched harshly at the accusation.

"That's not true!" He protested, "I introduced myself and the two of you attacked me!"

"That is a tactic which has been commonly used by thieves for the past several decades." Voltorb stated flatly, "The most likely scenario is that you are a criminal."

"Hey!" Saurton interjected, amidst audible cries from the adjacent rooms begging them to shut up, "Mudkip's from the Air Continent! They do things differently there!"

This made Team Cacophony pause.

"W-Well he d-did say he wasn't f-from around here…" Chingling managed to splutter, all fight seeming to have vanished, "I-I guess I didn't realise…"

Chingling was suddenly interrupted by Voltorb.

"The denizens of the Air Continent are not opposed to publicly sharing names." The electric-type stated, "However it is not common practice. I suspect this may be a false claim."

Team Saviours paled, Chingling once again faced them with a fiery resolve.

"HA!" The bell cried, "So you're not just a CROOK, you're a LIAR as well!"

"W-Wait no!" Henry tried to protest, "I'm not lying, I-"

The group were interrupted by the door being slammed open behind them. In the entrance stood a large insect-like Pokemon, it was light green all over, with a darker shade visible on the top of its head and on its legs. It had an incredibly long tail, striped with both shades of green and ending off in a red-bordered set of three scales, arranged like a fan. The Pokemon had a large set of diamond-shaped wings on its back, each also bordered in red. Two large antenna protruded from the top of the Pokemon's head, where two eyes were visible, each protected by a large red dome. Two short arms extended from the Pokemon, ending off it a small set of claws.

Moreover, the Flygon looked unbelievably angry _._

"Apprentices." She calmly said, rage thinly veiled by a layer of professionalism, and making all the assembled Pokemon quiver in fear, "It is the middle of the night. May I ask why you deem it necessary to have a shouting match that could wake a Jirachi fifty years early?"

The dragon shot the cowering Pokemon a withering glare, before her eyes settled firmly on Henry and Saurton, who were doing their best to try and blend in to the wall.

"And who, may I ask, are you?" Flygon said pointedly, folding her arms and staring at the two terrified starter Pokemon.

"I-Uh, um. Well, uh…" The frightened Pokemon stumbled over their words, unable to form a coherent sentence between them.

"They're Team Saviours, Flygon ma'am!" Whismur said, saving the two, "They have an interview to become trainees tomorrow, so I decided to let them stay with us tonight."

Flygon gazed angrily at the normal-type, who was remaining surprisingly composed beneath the scrutiny.

"You are aware, Whismur, that this is a violation of guild conduct?"

Whismur paled, but didn't say anything.

"Well would anyone care to explain what all this yelling was about?"

Henry went to speak up, but Voltorb managed to get in before him.

"The Mudkip is an outlaw." The ball stated, "Chingling and I reported him earlier today."

"That's not true!" Saurton exclaimed, eager to defend his friend, "Mudkip is from the Air Continent. He tried to introduce himself to these two and they attacked him!"

"I suspect that the Air Continent story is false." Voltorb said, matter-of-factly. Flygon merely sighed, cradling her head in her claws.

"You're signed up?" She asked the two starters, who nodded vehemently. "How in the world did this whole outlaw business slip past Volbeat and Illumise then? They're supposed to check this sort of thing when teams sign up."

"Illumise seemed eager to finish his shift, Flygon ma'am!" Whismur was quick to answer, "He may have simply not checked."

"Right." Flygon said, muttering a string of curses under her breath, "Of course this would happen." She pointed to Saurton and Henry. "You two, come with me and we'll sort this out properly. If you are guilty, don't try and run, I'm quite tired and I wouldn't mind simply killing you so I can get back to bed faster. Oh and you three-" She shot a deathly glare at Team Cacophony, "Shut up and go to sleep."

The dragon walked out of the room, two terrified Pokemon following closely behind her. She led the starters to the end of the building and into a modest room, clearly belonging to Flygon herself. The room was sparsely furnished, containing only a single bed of straw, a small table covered in neat stacks of paper, and a chair which was tucked under the table.

"Sit." The mystic Pokemon instructed, the two starters quickly obeying. Flygon pulled the chair out from under her desk and sat on it, facing the nervous duo.

"Right." She said impatiently, "Explain everything, and don't you dare lie to me or I'll tear you limb from limb. Understand?"

Henry and Saurton looked at each other fearfully, before Henry took a deep breath and started to speak.

He explained everything. How he'd woken up with no memories, his encounter with Team Cacophony, meeting Saurton, the rescue mission, and finally their trip through Hope Village - Saurton chipping in every now and then to add his own take on things.

Flygon listened to the tale quietly, not once saying a word.

"-And now we're here." Henry finished, eying Flygon nervously.

The dragon looked at him curiously, contemplating the story she'd been given.

"Alright." Flygon said, after what seemed like an eternity, "I believe you."

Henry and Saurton jumped in surprise.

"Wait really?" Saurton asked perplexedly, "Just like that?"

Flygon nodded.

"Yes. Just like that. I'm very good at judging whether people are lying to me." The dragon stood and walked over to her desk, ruffling through a couple of papers. "I can get you officially signed up right now, if you like. Save you a trip tomorrow morning. Can you hand me your reference number?"

"Uh, sure…" Saurton said uncertainly, retrieving the slip of paper from his satchel and placing it in Flygon's outstretched claw.

Flygon looked at the number, before grabbing a form of some sort from her desk and filling it in.

"All sorted." She said, placing the completed form on the edge of her desk. "I'll properly file that tomorrow, but for all intents and purposes you are now a trainee rescue team. You can bunk in the room just on your left as you exit my room, it should be empty. I want you up and out on the courtyard with everyone else at dawn - Mudkip, I expect you not to be covered in filth by then." She turned to face the two of them, "Now for Arceus' sake bugger off and get some sleep. We're all exhausted."

With that final statement, Henry and Saurton quickly left and headed into their own room.

It was incredibly similar to Team Cacophony's, with the main difference being that instead of three straw beds, there was instead a large pile of straw sitting in the corner, alongside a lantern which illuminated the room.

"I guess we make our own beds." Saurton muttered quietly, taking a generous amount of straw in his vines, and laying it out on the floor. Henry was quick to do the same - gathering what he felt was a reasonable amount of straw in his mouth, and laying it down alongside Saurton's pile.

With beds made, Henry wandered over to the lantern and inspected it, searching for a way to shut it off.

"There should be a shutter you can close." Saurton mumbled, sitting tiredly on his bed.

Sure enough, Henry quickly found and closed a shutter on the front of the light, plunging the room into darkness. He stumbled back over to his bed, and curled up into a tight ball. Without another word between them, the two exhausted companions fell into a blissful sleep - too tuckered out from the days events to even think about staying up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pow! Gotta love this handy-dandy notes feature that AO3 has, I wish FFN had something similar. 
> 
> So this chapter actually didn't cover everything that I wanted to happen this time, however it was growing far too long, so I've cut it up. Sorry about that.
> 
> This one was a good deal of fun to write - I hope it's of a reasonable quality.
> 
> See you next week!
> 
> Candlewick


	5. Chapter 4: The Mad Prophet

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! UP AND OUT ON THE COURTYARD IN TEN MINUTES! DON'T BE LATE OR I'LL TEAR YOU A NEW ONE!"

Henry and Saurton were startled awake by an incredibly loud hollering, they jumped bolt upright, bleary-eyed and half asleep.

"Wha- Who?" Saurton stumbled about, desperately trying to rub the sleep from his eyes using his vines, before he suddenly stood stock still, realisation hitting him hard. "The guild! We're members now!" He said happily, "Henry, we need to get up and out of here, or I think Flygon may actually kill us."

Henry stood, still frazzled from the abrupt awakening.

" _Why do we have to be up so early?"_ He thought bitterly _"Can't we all just sleep?"_

He was snapped out of his moping by a gentle nudge from his partner.

"Come on, you need to get clean before we go out anyway."

Henry froze.

"I'm sorry, Saurton." He said, a dangerous edge in his voice, "I didn't quite hear you, could you repeat that please?"

Saurton took a step back, surprised by his friend's hostile demeanor.

"Sheesh. Alright then, just don't blame me when Flygon sets a Feraligator on you or something."

That made Henry pause - he hadn't even considered that he may be forcefully cleaned. He let out a long groan.

"Alright fine." He said sourly, "How do I clean myself then?"

Saurton just looked at him weirdly.

"Okay, I get that you have no memory, but this is really stretching things now."

Henry stared blankly at his partner, who sighed resignedly.

"Look, you're a water-type." Saurton said, exasperation clear in his voice, "Just blast it off with a water gun or something."

Henry shuddered, turning incredibly pale.

"ALRIGHT FINAL WARNING! FIVE MINUTES OR YOU'RE IN FOR A WORLD OF PAIN!"

"Alright fine!" The Mudkip spluttered, "I'll do it."

He took a deep breath, before staring down at his muddy form. He summoned the uncomfortable feeling, like bile in the back of his throat.

" _Why a water-type, of everything?"_ He thought angrily, before firing a jet of water over his back and legs, taking the thin film of dust cleanly off of him.

As soon as he was clean, Henry immediately stopped firing water, jumping away from the small puddle he'd created and desperately shoving his mouth into the straw pile - in the vain hope that the dead grass would take away the sensation of the liquid in his mouth.

Saurton smiled at him proudly.

"Good job!" He said cheerfully, "Personally I would have done it outside, so we wouldn't have a large wet patch on our floor, but to each their own."

Henry stared in horror at the small pool of water he'd left behind, panic gripping him.

"Ah well!" Saurton said happily, snapping Henry out of his trance, "We really need to hurry out onto the courtyard."

Henry nodded firmly, eager to escape anywhere where there wasn't water, and together the two Pokemon ran out of the building and into the main courtyard.

The guild was now a bustling hub of activity, in contrast to the previous evening. Pokemon streamed in and out of the keep, all clearly prepared for various sorts of expeditions.

The two starter Pokemon quickly glanced around, spying Flygon with a small cluster of Pokemon all standing just to the side of the barracks building. Team Cacophony were visible as members of the crowd, alongside a whole host of other Pokemon who Henry didn't recognise. They quickly scampered over.

"Hm. Just in time." Flygon said disapprovingly, as Henry and Saurton joined the edge of the crowd. "I think you need to work on your punctuality, but at least you're clean." She beckoned to the two Pokemon, "Now if the two of you could join me at the front here."

The two companions quickly raced up alongside Flygon, eager not to annoy the dragon any more.

"This is Team Saviours!" Flygon addressed the crowd, gesturing to the starter Pokemon alongside her, "They are your new guildmates and will be training alongside you. I expect you to be friendly and welcoming towards them."

She seemed to look pointedly at Team Cacophony as she said that, before turning to the starter duo.

"You can fall in with the rest of the trainees now, for the morning briefing."

Henry and Saurton quickly joined the cluster of other trainees, and Flygon started to brief the assembled Pokemon. Most of what she mentioned was unimportant to Team Saviours - status updates on things around the guild, tidbits of world news, and finally handing out jobs to the different trainee teams.

"Right." She said - Henry and Saurton now the only team without a task, "Team Saviours, you'll come with me. I'll show you the facilities and give you your assignment. Dismissed."

With that the Pokemon dispersed, a couple shooting nods of greeting to the newbies who were waiting patiently for their guide.

Once the rest of the trainees had left, Flygon motioned for the rookies to follow her, leading them around the courtyard and into the keep.

"Right." She started, "This is the keep. If there aren't any training jobs I need you to do, you should take a job off of the bulletin board and complete it." the desert dragon gestured to the enormous board they'd seen yesterday.

"Uh, Flygon?" Saurton probed tentatively, "Why is the board so big?"

Flygon shot him a disapproving look.

"Tell me, Bulbasaur, how is an Onix meant to reach jobs at the bottom of the board?"

Saurton cringed.

"Understood." He blurted apologetically, "I'm sorry."

Flygon looked at the grass-type for another moment, before continuing her explanation.

"Once you've completed a job, you must register its completion with Volbeat or Illumise." She gestured to the desks where the bored bugs sat, filling in paperwork. "They'll handle payment and have any job rewards deposited directly into your bank account - speaking of which, the guild takes fifty percent of any payments you receive." She turned and gave the starters a hard look, "There's no problem with that, is there?"

Henry and Saurton shook their heads vigorously and the dragon nodded.

"Good, good. Well I have an assignment for the two of you then, something simple." The Flygon went over to Illumise, and after a few short words returned with a slip of paper.

"This is what a standard job looks like." She explained, handing the parchment over to Saurton. "When you complete a job, you'll need to get a footprint signature from your client to confirm your success, otherwise you won't receive any sort of payment for the job. Understand?"

Saurton looked over the job request, reading it thoroughly.

"Hang on…" He muttered, "It says that you're the client for this job?"

Flygon nodded approvingly.

"Yes. The guild needs you to go and gather a weekly report from Hoothoot." She produced a small notebook and vial of ink. "Write it down and deliver it to me by the end of the day. The guild will also cover payment for this job. Understand?"

Saurton took the writing implements and placed them firmly away in his satchel.

"This all seems good to me. Thank you, Flygon."

"Good." Flygon said happily, "Try not to fail. Food will be served in the small hut next to the sleeping quarters. It's free of charge, so don't worry about that."

Flygon shooed the Pokemon out of the building.

"Now get on with it."

With those lovely words of encouragement, Flygon left Team Saviours alone, no doubt off to attend to her own duties.

Saurton turned to his partner.

"Right, Henry." He started eagerly, "According to the job description, Hoothoot lives just on the edge of town."

The Bulbasaur looked at his partner, eyes gleaming.

"It may not be glamorous, but this is our first ever job. Let's do some good!"

With a resolute nod to one another, Henry and Saurton left the guild and headed swiftly towards the village.

* * *

While the centre of Hope Village had been a bustling hub of activity, the outskirts where Hoothoot lived were much quieter - or at least that's the way it appeared to Team Saviours as they navigated their way through a never-ending mess of streets and alleys.

"Alright." Saurton said, looking over the job request once more, "This should be it. Hoothoot's place."

The two Pokemon found themselves standing in front of a nondescript building, tucked away at the end of a narrow street. A small wooden hatch was firmly planted in the front of the building, acting as an entrance.

Henry eyed the structure cautiously.

"So…" He started unsurely, "Do we knock or…"

Saurton shot his companion a tired look.

"We're not breaking in, Henry."

The Bulbasaur walked over to the hatch and used his vines to knock firmly on the door.

There was no response, however.

Henry gave his companion a smug look.

"So we're not breaking in then?" He said snidely.

"Just because you were a wanted outlaw, doesn't mean I want to be one." Saurton huffed impatiently, "I guess we'll just wait."

The two Pokemon settled down and prepared for a long wait.

"Hey, Saurton?" Henry was quick to break the silence, "Do you have any of that food from Chansey? We didn't get a chance to eat last night, is all."

Saurton perked up at the mention of food, quickly rummaging around in his bag and producing two large apples.

"Yes I do!" The grass-type said proudly, presenting his partner with a delicious fruit. "It's not as good as sandwiches, but it should be tasty anyway."

Henry admired the fruit before swiftly devouring it.

"I don't know about that." He said between mouthfuls, "These are pretty good."

Saurton just shook his head, and the two Pokemon waited together in silence, only to be interrupted by a loud squawking coming from the inside of the house.

Henry eyed his partner, who was looking at the building thoughtfully.

"Hey, Saurton?" He tentatively asked, "Did you hear that just now?"

Saurton kept his gaze firmly rooted on the house.

"Yes, I did." The Bulbasaur stood up and walked over to the doorway once more, "I'll knock again, I guess…"

Saurton rapped his vines against the wood, only to once again receive no response. He took a step back and frowned.

"Hmm… Maybe we should go with your plan after all…" The grass-type pondered, "That noise sounded like somebody could have been hurt."

Henry glanced at his partner thoughtfully.

"Alright sure, let's go then."

The Mudkip hopped up and strutted over to the hatch, easily pushing it open and entering the building. He turned back and beckoned the grass-type to follow him with a wave of his tail fin.

Together the two Pokemon entered the building - it was a wide, open space, allowing for easy flight around the homestead. There were several shelves and perches around the room, each adorned with different utensils or appliances. At the far end of the room was a small round bird. It had two enormous orange eyes, which took up the majority of its face. The bird itself was a nut-brown colour, with a pattern of black feathers tracing their way around its eyes and extending just above its body. The avian seemed have only a single foot extending from the bottom of its body and firmly rooting it to a perch on the wall.

"Hoothoot…?" Saurton hesitantly called out to the creature, "We're here from the rescue guild to ask for your weekly report."

Hoothoot said nothing, instead looking blankly at the two Pokemon.

"Sorry about barging in." Henry started, "We just heard a loud noise and thought you may be hurt."

The bird continued staring at the pair.

…

" _Wait he's not looking at us at all!"_ Henry suddenly realised, _"He's staring past us."_

With a jolt of panic, Henry quickly whipped around, only to find himself hoisted into the air by his tail, Saurton also dangling helplessly alongside him.

Henry squirmed and wriggled, desperately struggling to free himself - but to no avail. He turned to look at his partner, who was in much the same situation - suspended in the air by a large shadowy hand, and desperately struggling to escape its grasp.

"Well well." A deep voice boomed from behind them, "Guild brats who think they can barge into other people's homes? I thought they taught you better than that."

Team Saviours were suddenly spun around to face the source of the voice - a large golden casket, with several stripes of blue around the top of the case. A face was visible on the front of the coffin - one that almost appeared to be made of darkness itself, with a disturbingly bright smile plastered on it. Four black arms extended out of the sarcophagus; one gripping each of the helpless Pokemon - the other two folded across the front of the assailant in an expression of mock annoyance.

"I'm very disappointed that you thought it prudent to interrupt my… _friendly…_ chat with Hoothoot here." The Cofagrigus said in a mocking tone, "I wasn't quite done talking with him."

Henry shot a jet of water at the ghost, while Saurton batted at it with his vines. Both efforts were futile, however, as the ghost simply shrugged off the attacks and laughed jeeringly at the attempts.

"You've certainly got guts." The ghost-type chuckled, "Now who do I have the... _pleasure..._ of talking to?" Cofagrigus' words were laced with so much contempt that it was almost palatable.

Henry and Saurton just shot the ghost a glare, refusing to acknowledge his question.

"Not very talkative, are we?" The coffin Pokemon said, almost sounding impressed, "Fine."

The ghost-type suddenly lost its cheer, it's face contorting into a sadistic grimace.

"Tell me now, or I'll tear your souls from your body. How about that?"

With the last part of his sentence, Cofagrigus' smile returned once more - faux-friendliness creeping back into its voice.

Henry and Saurton both gulped, going incredibly pale.

"T-Team Saviours!" Henry managed to splutter, "W-We're a r-rescue team."

Cofagrigus put a ghostly hand up to where its chin would be - if it had one - stroking the air thoughtfully.

"Dear me... " The ghost said with false sympathy, "Trainees, I presume?" Cofagrigus shot the stranded Pokemon a devilish grin, "How… _unfortunate…_ that you happened to come here when you did."

Henry and Saurton were swiveled around in the air until they both faced Hoothoot, who hadn't moved or broken his stare throughout the entire scene.

"You see, I was right in the middle of such a _lovely_ chat with this insufferable bird here." The ghost said cruelly, "He was cursed by Yveltal, you see. He can predict where great instances of death are due to happen - drove him completely insane though, poor thing." Cofagrigus didn't sound sympathetic in the slightest, in fact it somehow sounded gleeful when talking about the distress of the owl.

Cofagrigus flipped the Pokemon back until they faced it once more.

"I was very hopeful to use this waste of air as a guide, so I could find some fresh spirits." The ghost helpfully explained, "Alas, the wretched thing only speaks in gibberish, even after I tried to… _motivate…_ it."

The spiritual sarcophagus let out a long and ghastly laugh, causing Henry and Saurton to shudder, not wanting to imagine exactly what the ghost's 'motivation' may have been.

"W-We won't let you hurt Hoothoot any more!" Saurton suddenly cried out, a sudden bout of courage seeming to grip the grass-type.

The ghost used his spare hands to do a mock shrug.

"Ooh. Very noble, but I'm afraid I simply _must_ kill you now. I do hope you'll forgive me."

As the ghost finished, it shot an excited look at both of the bound Pokemon, clearly eager to get on with their demise. Henry and Saurton both braced for the end, shooting each other helpless looks.

Only they weren't killed.

Cofagrigus seemed to have frozen in place, eyes stuck on the Mudkip which was firmly gripped in its hand. All expression had vanished, now replaced with a stare which bored its way through Henry's head.

"A strange aura, Mudkip." Cofagrigus stated after a while, its voice now much calmer - all traces of falseness having vanished. "You have the presence of someone who has died once before… very peculiar."

The ghost suddenly set its two captives onto the ground, releasing them. Henry and Saurton immediately jumped up, alert and ready for action. Cofagrigus merely shot them a toothy smile.

"Don't bother." It said plainly, "There's no way you could damage me if you tried, I'm clearly much more powerful than the two of you combined." The ghost retracted its arms inside of its body, "Besides, I'm not going to kill you, Mudkip's aura has left me in a curious and merciful mood."

The edge of the coffin suddenly seemed to contract, covering the ghost Pokemon's face and leaving an expressionless casket in its wake.

"Until next time, Team Saviours."

With those final words, Cofagrigus sank into the ground and vanished, leaving behind a very relieved and slightly traumatised rescue team.

As soon as any sign of danger was gone, Henry and Saurton immediately rushed over to each other, each eager to make sure that the other was alright.

"Arceus above, Henry!" Saurton managed to splutter, "What's with all these freakish ghosts everywhere we go?"

"You're telling me." Henry grumbled, wiggling his tail freely, now that it was no longer in a shadowy grip.

"You were sent for me, weren't you?"

The rescuing duo were suddenly cut across by a loud voice, belonging to Hoothoot, who still hadn't moved from his perch.

"Flygon must wish to know everything I have seen?" The bird's queried, its eyes fixed on the two Pokemon before it.

"I-Uh, yes." Henry spluttered, before shaking his head and composing himself. "I'm really sorry, are you okay?"

Hoothoot's eyes locked onto Henry, fixing him in place with a gaze that seemed to pierce his soul.

"One not from this world… What makes you special enough to cheat death, little Mudkip?"

Team Saviours stared at the bird, confusion plastering itself all over their features. There was a long silence, Hoothoot seemingly not blinking the entire time.

"I'm sorry, what?" Henry managed to say, after what seemed like an eternity.

"To have lost a life yet retained a mortal form, the legendaries work in mysterious ways…"

"Um, Hoothoot?" The bird's eyes whipped from Henry over to Saurton, who was looking at the bird with a very concerned expression. "Are you quite alright? We can take you back to the guild, if you like. I'm sure they'd be able to help you, if Cofagrigus hurt you?"

Hoothoot suddenly let out a loud screech, startling the two starters.

"In the halls of the avaricious steel swine?" The bird cried indignantly, "I'd sooner rot away where I stand."

Saurton turned to his partner, completely baffled.

"I think that ghost was right." He said worriedly, "Hoothoot's completely mad"

Henry nodded in agreement.

"Still." The water-type reasoned, "We were asked to get a report. You should probably jot all of this down."

Saurton hastily pulled the vial of ink and paper out of his satchel, before dipping the end of his vine into the pot and scribbling away furiously.

"Such a calamity it is, to have your existence stripped away from you." Hoothoot suddenly stated, his eyes once again fixed on Henry. "Such a pity, a pity, a pity…"

The owl seemed to trail off, gazing at something in the distance that only he could see. Suddenly the bird let out another screech.

"Oh misfortune!" The bird wailed, "That so many Pokemon should be torn from the realm of the living so early!"

Hoothoot suddenly collapsed in a fit of sobbing, tears streaming down the bird's face and beak. Yet again, Team Saviours were stunned into complete silence, mouths agape as they watched the poor owl weep uncontrollably.

"THIRTEEN!" Hoothoot suddenly yelled, standing bolt upright and spreading two small wings wide. "CRUSHED! GOLEM! FIVE DAYS!"

Saurton immediately snapped out of his confusion, hurriedly jotting down exactly what Hoothoot had just said.

"For shame, for shame…" The bird muttered, "Yveltal has gifted me with this sight and it is my burden to bear."

Hoothoot shot another look towards Henry.

"As it is our duty to cope with our own struggles, is it not?"

Henry squirmed uncomfortably under the owl's unbreaking stare.

"Curious, curious…"

Hoothoot trailed off, eyes still pinning the poor Mudkip in place.

"Can you tell us what Cofagrigus wanted from you, Hoothoot?" Saurton asked, once again saving Henry from the flying-type's gaze.

Hoothoot stared deeply at Saurton.

"A hauntingly vile specimen." The owl stated solemnly, "To feast and grow stronger on a creature's soul - a truly evil goal."

Saurton eagerly jotted down the bird's mad yammerings, before glancing back towards the owl expectantly. Hoothoot, however, said nothing. Instead staring off into space.

"Can you tell us anything else?" Saurton carefully probed, "Any other information at all?"

Hoothoot simply remained silent, not even acknowledging the Bulbasaur's query.

Henry turned to his partner, shooting him a perplexed look. Saurton simply shrugged in response.

"I require rest." The bird suddenly said, breaking the silence. "I would ask that you both leave my home."

Without another word, Hoothoot suddenly fell fast asleep, leaving behind two incredibly confused Pokemon.

"I guess we should leave then…?" Henry said, completely baffled at everything which had just taken place. Saurton nodded slowly in response, and together the two Pokemon left the house before heading back towards the guild.

* * *

Discussion was ablaze between Team Saviours, as they made their way back through Hope Village towards the guild castle - the two Pokemon excitedly discussing the results of their first official guild mission.

"If we're in for missions like that everyday, then we may as well commission our funerals now!" Henry said dourly, as the team made their way through the main gate. "That was completely nuts!"

"I mean, yeah." Saurton shot his companion a grin, "But you can't deny that it was completely awesome, even if it was terrifying and confusing and dangerous."

Henry mulled it over, a little perturbed to find that his friend was entirely correct - he had found the day's events incredibly exhilarating, though he wouldn't admit it.

"Sure." He said noncommittally, "We should go and find Flygon though, hand in the report."

Saurton gave the Mudkip an exasperated glance.

"Alright then, I'm guessing she'll be in her room."

The Bulbasaur stopped for a moment, a mischievous gleam appearing in his eye.

"I can tell you really enjoyed today, so you'd better admit it." The grass-type turned and looked at his companion seriously, "Or I'll tell Flygon that you have a crush on her."

Henry gasped in mock horror.

"You wouldn't dare!" He said, feigning betrayal, "She'd kill me for sure."

Saurton nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid so." The grass-type said solemnly, "She'll probably tear you into so many pieces that nobody could put you back together if they tried."

Saurton perked up, giving his companion a big smile.

"Ah well, guess I'd better go and tell her then. It was nice knowing you."

Henry faulted slightly, the line between banter and genuine threat having become slightly blurry for him.

"Wait no!" He protested, "I did enjoy myself! It was super exciting, even if I didn't understand anything that happened."

With that confession, Saurton stuck his tongue out at Henry, before racing off in the direction of the trainee barracks - his partner chasing panickedly after him.

"Haha!" Saurton proudly exclaimed, reaching the building before his companion, "Guess it's time for me to tell Flygon everything!" The grass-type shook his head sadly at Henry, who had just managed to catch up.

"Wait!" Henry exclaimed, doing his best to catch his breath.

Saurton just stuck his tongue out at the water-type.

"Sorry." He said unapologetically, "It was nice knowing you though."

Saurton turned to enter the building, only to find himself blocked by a large green body. He cast his eyes upwards, straight into the stern features of Flygon.

"And what is it, exactly, that you needed to tell me, Bulbasaur?"

"I tried to warn you…" Henry muttered from behind the steadily paling grass-type.

Flygon leered over Saurton.

"Well?" She asked impatiently, "Spit it out."

"I, uh…" Saurton gulped nervously, "We finished our mission."

"Right." Flygon looked at the Bulbasaur disapprovingly, "If you could give me your written report then."

The dragon extended a claw, which Saurton hastily placed the document in.

Flygon hummed contemplatively to herself as she read over the report, before she let out a small snigger.

"'Avaricious steel swine', that's a new one." She muttered, before quietly reading the rest of the paper.

"Very well." She stated, rolling up the document and placing it in a small bag she wore, "That's a successful job. I'll sign your job request now, unless you have anything else to tell me?"

Henry and Saurton glanced at each other.

"Actually we do…" Saurton spoke up, before relaying their encounter with Cofagrigus.

Flygon listened patiently to the tale, eyes growing wide with disbelief as they told her how close they'd been to death, as well as the ghost's reason for sparing them.

"Oh dear…" She muttered worriedly, her usual hard demeanor seeming to have vanished for an instant. "Had I known that there was any real danger in this task, I never would have sent you on it. Certainly not until you were stronger, at least."

"Flygon?" Henry tentatively asked, "Do you have any idea what Cofagrigus meant about me dying once before?"

Flygon stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"My best guess is that your amnesia has a similar aura to death." She looked at the Mudkip contemplatively, "I suppose it could have something to do with your previous life being forgotten - or 'killed', as they put it."

The dragon shrugged.

"Who knows." She said resignedly, "It's not important. What's important is that you're both still alive, safe and well."

The two members of Team Saviours blushed slightly at the comment.

"Right!" Flygon suddenly exclaimed - no-nonsense attitude having returned. "Hand me your job request, I'll sign it and you can get on with the rest of your day."

Saurton retrieved the sheet of paper from his satchel and handed it to Flygon, along with the vial of ink. The dragon used to ink to coat her hand, before planting a clear pawprint on the signature line.

"All sorted." She said, returning the completed job to the grass-type. "If you're ever running low on ink, just ask Volbeat or Illumise, they'll give you some for free." Flygon straightened up, "I have other business to attend to now. Stay out of trouble, rookies."

With that, the dragon headed off across the courtyard, leaving Henry and Saurton alone.

"I guess we should register this then…?" Henry said, slightly unsurely.

Saurton nodded happily.

"Yep!" He gave his partner a big grin, "Our first ever successful mission!"

Saurton jumped up in the air and started dancing happily in the direction of the keep, Henry following behind - chuckling at his companion's antics.

The two Pokemon entered the main building, and quickly joined the end of one of the queues, eagerly waiting to hand in their completed mission.

"Next."

Henry and Saurton were called to the front of the line, where Illumise sat. The bug-type glanced at them, an expression of annoyance spreading clearly across his face.

"Oh it's you two." He said with a sneer, "I had an earful from Flygon this morning, because of you. Apparently you were a wanted outlaw when you signed up, Mudkip." The bug practically spat the last word.

"Um, yes." Henry said unsurely, "I'm not an outlaw though, so it's all good. Anyway, we have a completed job we'd like to register please." Henry nudged his teammate, who quickly handed the paper to Illumise.

The bug shot them both a hateful look, before reading through the paper carefully.

"Fine." He stated, "Team name?"

"Team Saviours!" Saurton said excitedly.

"Bank account number?"

"Seven-Eight-Three-Eight."

Illumise scribbled on a few pieces of paper, before turning back towards the rescue team.

"Bank transfers are sent off once every four hours." The bug glanced at a small clock sitting on his desk. "You should have the payment in your account in about an hour. After guild tax, it comes to sixty poke." Illumise placed a slip of paper on the desk. "Here's your receipt, now bugger off."

Saurton hastily took the offered paper, and together the members of Team Saviours quickly left the keep.

The two Pokemon looked at each other unsurely.

"So…" Henry started, "What do we do now? It's still only mid-afternoon."

Saurton glanced around, his eyes settling squarely on a small building next to the barracks.

"Flygon said there was free food." He said hungrily, "I think we should take a look."

Henry nodded vigorously, and the two Pokemon headed towards the hut.

* * *

The food hall was relatively quiet - several benches and tables of varying sizes were scattered throughout the room, with a serving area at the far end - staffed by a friendly looking Machoke who was wearing an apron.

Together, Henry and Saurton headed to the end of the building, towards the delicious smell of food.

"Well hello there!" Machoke greeted happily, as the two Pokemon approached, "You must be the new recruits. Team… Saviours?"

"Yes, that's us!" Saurton happily confirmed, Machoke shooting them a big grin.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you." The superpower Pokemon said politely, "I'm Machoke, I'm in charge of rustling up food for all of you recruits." Machoke pointed to a large list attached to the wall. "The menu's over there. It has all of our daily options on it. This afternoon I'm serving up fruit salad with honey. Does that sit alright with you guys?"

Henry and Saurton eagerly nodded, happy to eat whatever was served to them.

Machoke grabbed a couple of bowls, before stopping. A concerned look spread across his face.

"Will the two of you need help carrying these to your table?" He asked sheepishly, "I know quadrupeds can sometimes find it tricky to carry things."

Saurton shook his head, extending his vines and showing them off.

"I think we'll be fine, thank you. I can carry our bowls."

With a satisfied nod, Machoke filled the two bowls with a delicious looking selection of fruits and berries, before drizzling them in golden honey. He handed the platters to Saurton, who carefully balanced them on his vines.

Henry and Saurton graciously thanked the chef, before heading over to an empty table with their food and sitting down opposite each other.

Henry poked his food cautiously, before happily chowing down on the delicious array of fruit.

The two companions sat in blissful silence, savouring the feeling of a job well done and the taste of their delicious meal.

"So, Henry-" Saurton started, licking some honey from around his mouth, only to suddenly stop - his eyes firmly rooted on the doorway.

Henry frowned in confusion, before he followed the Bulbasaur's gaze to the entrance, where Team Cacophony stood, staring right back.

Voltorb and Chingling were looking incredibly nervous. Whismur, on the other hand, was nudging her teammates gently and whispering to them.

The staring contest continued for several minutes, until Whismur apparently got fed up. She picked Chingling up with one arm, and used the other to push Voltorb over towards Team Saviours, who just watched in stunned silence.

"Howdy Bulbasaur, Mudkip." She greeted politely, as the group reached the table. "I believe these two might have something to say to y'all." She pointedly glared at each of her companions, who just looked at the ground sheepishly.

Whismur sighed. Opting for the more direct route, she smacked them both around the back of the head, snapping them out of their stupor.

"W-We, uh… Um. I-." Chingling stuttered and squirmed, tripping over his own words. Voltorb quickly stepped in, saving their stricken teammate.

"Team Saviours." The ball droned, somehow sounding embarrassed, "Chingling and I wish to apologise. Hostility was an error on our part."

Chingling nodded fiercely, shamefully hiding his face with his ribbons.

"We would be grateful if you'd accept our apology." Voltorb continued, tilting forwards in an approximation of a bow. "Chingling and I will pay for a drink of your choice at the Shuck Shack."

Henry and Saurton blinked, taken aback by the sincere apology they were receiving.

"I think this is on you, Mudkip." Saurton said to his partner, "You were the one who was attacked, not me." The Bulbasaur went back to eating his food.

Henry looked at the Pokemon before him, each very clearly ashamed.

" _Can I really forgive these Pokemon?"_ He wondered to himself, _"They did attack me."_

He mulled over his options, a long silence falling over the table.

_"On the other hand, they do seem genuine."_

"Free drinks, you say?" Henry asked innocently, "In that case, I'd be happy to accept your apology."

Chingling and Voltorb seemed to sag in relief, Whismur clapped her hands together happily.

"See." She said, "I told y'all it wouldn't be _that_ difficult." The normal-type turned to address Team Saviours. "Do you mind if we sit with you?", She asked.

Henry nodded.

"You're welcome to."

Team Cacophony sat alongside the two Pokemon and an awkward silence fell over the group. Whismur nudged her companions.

"S-so h-how did y-your mission go today?" Chingling managed to splutter.

Saurton shot the bell Pokemon a patient smile.

"It was stressful, but we managed." He said simply, "We had to go and get a report from Hoothoot."

Whismur nodded sympathetically.

"We had to do that for one of our first missions too." She said wistfully, "That bird speaks nothing but nonsense."

Together the Pokemon seemed to ease into a comfortable conversation, the awkward atmosphere steadily disappearing as they started to enjoy each other's company and settle into a happy routine.

As time stretched on, the dining hall started to fill up with steadily more and more Pokemon. Whismur glanced around.

"Right!" She suddenly exclaimed, cutting across a discussion about which berry was the best, "I think we have to treat Team Saviours to a drink - something to celebrate their first success."

The normal-type stood abruptly.

"Come on." She beckoned to the group of Pokemon, "Let's go and get smashed."

Henry and Saurton shrugged, and together the group followed Whismur out of the guild and into Hope Village.

It wasn't long before the ensemble of Pokemon reached the Shuck Shack, heading swiftly inside.

The Pokemon were greeted by a brilliant atmosphere. The pub was bustling, Pokemon of all types and species happily drinking at the bar. There was a small stage in the corner of the room, where a group of Oricorio were performing some sort of song and dance routine to a happy drunken crowd, who were all dancing and singing along too.

It was a merry place, loud and cheerful.

"Come on, you lot." Whismur said, dragging everyone inside the tavern, "Voltorb, you're our designated sober Pokemon, as always."

Voltorb looked at the normal-type in confusion.

"Of course I am. My species is incapable of drinking."

"I'll be a designated sober Pokemon too!" Henry piped up, "I-Uh, really don't like liquid, so no drinking for me."

Whismur just rolled her eyes at the two, before heading swiftly to the bar, where a Shuckle with a bow-tie was serving drinks.

"Howdy, Shuckle." She said happily as she approached the bug-type, "I'd like three oran ciders please." She placed a small bundle of coins on the bar.

Shuckle nodded, quickly taking the money before serving up three glasses of fruity alcohol.

Whismur excitedly took two of them, passing one to Chingling - while Saurton grabbed the remaining drink in his vines.

The group headed over towards the crowd of dancing Pokemon, Whismur having somehow both finished her drink and procured a new one without anybody noticing.

"Oricorio are some of the best performers on the continent, in my opinion." Chingling said happily, swaying in time with the music - His usual nerves seemed to have vanished amidst the friendly atmosphere of the pub.

Henry nodded slowly in agreement, the rhythmic movement of the birds captivating him.

"They're pretty good, that's for sure."

Whismur suddenly grabbed the two members of Team Saviours.

"You know what?" She drunkenly mumbled, "You guys are pretty cool. I like that."

She turned and threw her arms wide.

"DRINKS ARE ON ME TONIGHT, EVERYONE!"

The building erupted into cheers, and Whismur suddenly found herself swept away by a crowd of grateful Pokemon.

"Our savings are going to take a large hit from this." Voltorb droned, almost sounding bitter. "Alcohol is a vice and should be banned."

Voltorb hurried off to rescue his teammate from the crowd, all the while muttering angrily.

The remaining three Pokemon just stood in silence awkwardly, not entirely sure how to react to the whole situation.

"I-I'm going to g-go and help V-Voltorb" Chingling managed to stutter, quickly slinking away from the group, and leaving the two members of Team Saviours alone.

Saurton and Henry looked at each other blankly, before bursting out into laughter.

"Well this is certainly an exciting way to celebrate our first success." Henry said bemusedly, "If a little chaotic."

Saurton nodded in agreement, happily sipping away at his drink.

"Well here's hoping we have many more successes to celebrate." The grass-type said cheerfully, "In the meantime I think we should just enjoy the atmosphere and the music. I think we've earned it."

And so the two Pokemon did exactly that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys ever write a scene, then hate the scene so you rewrite it, then still hate it, so you make a fool of yourself on the fanfiction subreddit, and then you rewrite the scene again and are somewhat okay with it? That was the Shuck Shack scene for me this week. It was a goddamn hell nightmare. 
> 
> Other than that, I'm reasonably happy with this week's chapter. It's being published at 1am on Wednesday morning, which is technically Wednesday, so I'm still following my schedule. I'm not early. Don't murder me.
> 
> Most of this chapter was pretty fun to write. I enjoyed Cofagrigus a lot, but personally I'm a little iffy on Hoothoot. 
> 
> I originally didn't want to have any sort of time-telling implements in my world, but when I was looking through the Pokedex entries for Hoothoot, they said that it always knows the exact time of day - so realistically there's no plausible way in which this world wouldn't have some sort of clock based around that ability of Hoothoot. So yeah... Clocks and time now. 
> 
> Other than that, I hope people are enjoying this somewhat. 
> 
> See you next week.
> 
> -Candlewick


	6. Chapter 5: Salandit

Morning briefing found the members of last night's outing standing under Flygon's stern gaze, all but Voltorb and Henry looking a lot worse for wear.

The dragon let out a long and judgemental sigh.

"How much money did you spend this time, Whismur?" She asked, exasperation clear in her voice.

The normal-type cringed, pressing her long ears flat against the top of her head as if to hide her embarrassment.

"Too much…" She muttered woefully.

Flygon just shook her head, before continuing with the briefing.

"RIGHT!" She hollered, making three quite hungover Pokemon flinch. "After studying Hoothoot's report from yesterday, it has become quite clear that a major loss of life will occur in the next four days."

The dragon cast a long look over the assembled trainees, ensuring that they were all paying apt attention.

"I want all Pokemon who aren't assigned jobs to select missions off of the bulletin board, that are located in mountainous or cavernous regions." Another firm glance was cast over the assembled group, "You are to keep an ear out for any sort of intelligence relating to the species 'Golem'. Is that understood?"

A chorus of acknowledgement rose from the tired apprentices.

"Good. Now stand by for your assignments."

Flygon started giving jobs to the rescuers.

"Team Saviours." She said, reaching the newest team, "Today I want you to take a job off of the bulletin board, however since you're new I'm sending one of your guildmates alongside you."

The dragon gestured to one of the other apprentices, calling them over.

The Pokemon in question was a short lizard-like creature, black all over - with a bright red stripe stretching down the length of its back and down to the tip of its tail. The Pokemon had two mischievous-looking purple eyes and a small pair of black scales extending out of the back of its head, almost looking like miniature wings.

"This is Salandit." Flygon introduced the Pokemon, "She will be your guide and senior today. I expect you to listen well to her advice."

The lizard gave the members of Team Saviours a suggestive wink.

" _Pleasure_ to meet you, chaps" She said in a sultry tone, making the two starters blush. "I'll be _taking care of you_ today."

Flygon shot Salandit a glare.

"That's quite enough of that." She said sternly, "You should know better than to tease the new recruits."

"Awww." Salandit moaned sadly. "Please? It's such good fun to watch them get all flustered."

Flygon looked down at the lizard, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"These are your colleagues and are under your care." She reprimanded, "If I can't trust you to be serious with them, I'll assign you to another job. Is that clear?"

Salandit slumped defeatedly.

"You're no fun…" She grumbled under her breath, receiving another glare from Flygon.

Henry and Saurton just watched the whole exchange in embarrassed confusion, unsure quite how to react to the argument.

"As I was saying-" Flygon continued, giving Salandit a pointed stare, "This is Salandit. She will help you choose a mission from the bulletin board and then assist you on it. She will also aid you in properly gathering supplies for the mission and safely completing it."

Flygon stared assertively at the poisonous lizard

"She will not - under any circumstances - tease, harass, flirt, or otherwise make any sexual or suggestive remarks with the sole purpose of embarrassing you."

Flygon turned back to the assembled trainees, who had all been waiting patiently, watching the scene with fascination.

"DISMISSED!"

With that command, the cluster of apprentices all scattered, eager to get on with their assigned tasks.

"What a stick in the mud." Salandit grumbled, as Flygon disappeared on her own business. The lizard turned towards Team Saviours, who were standing stock still; waiting for instructions.

"Well good day to you, chaps." Salandit greeted pleasantly, giving the two Pokemon a toothy grin. "I suppose it's on me to show you the ropes of a proper mission then."

The lizard started to move in the direction of the keep, beckoning the others to follow with a swish of her long tail.

Henry and Saurton glanced perplexedly at each other, before following the poisonous Pokemon into the main guild building.

"Okey dokey!" Salandit brightly exclaimed, standing in front of the enormous bulletin board which adorned the inside of the structure. "As I'm sure you're aware, this is where you select job requests. Each mission is given a different rating based on the difficulty of the task."

The lizard used her tail to point at a piece of paper on the board.

"As you can see, this one requires you to acquire an item from a relatively harmless mystery dungeon. It is rated 'E', the easiest rank." She explained, before pointing at another piece of paper alongside the first one. "This one involves the rescue of a lost Pokemon, in a similarly difficult dungeon - however since the task you have to do is more difficult, the job is rated 'D'."

Salandit turned to face her junior colleagues, who were listening attentively.

"The higher a ranking goes, the greater reward you can expect." The lizard suddenly shot them a serious look. "Don't accept jobs just based on reward though, every single mission was written by a Pokemon in genuine need of our help, and ultimately that's more important than whatever material reward they could offer you."

Henry and Saurton nodded vehemently, Salandit giving them an approving smile.

"Righty-ho!" She said cheerfully, turning to look over the board, "Flygon said we need to do jobs in mountains or caves, so with that in mind, I'll leave choosing a mission to the two of you."

The lizard stood aside, allowing Team Saviours access to the bulletin board. They glanced over it thoughtfully.

"Hey Saurton?" Henry whispered to his partner, "I still can't read. This is all on you."

Saurton shot a sideways glance at his Mudkip friend, who was pretending to closely examine various job requests.

"Well I have a blinding headache and can't focus!" He hissed back, "Urgh. I shouldn't have drunk so much, why didn't you stop me?"

"I didn't stop you because Whismur was paying, and you seemed like you were having a great time!" Henry huffed indignantly, turning to face his companion. "I can't believe you're complaining! Voltorb and I were the ones who had to carry the three of you back to the guild, since you could barely walk straight."

"Oh yeah? Well at least I actually enjoyed myself instead of staying sober, like a weirdo!"

"Drunkard."

"Freak."

The two Pokemon glared at each other, before bursting into a fit of laughter, earning them a few confused looks from the other Pokemon in the keep.

"Alrighty then." Salandit said, forcing her way between the two friends, "I suppose I'll choose a job this time."

The toxic lizard glanced over the jobs for a moment, before picking one off of the board and handing it to Saurton.

"Search for a missing Gulpin, last seen entering Ferrite Cavern." Salandit explained, "It's a mystery dungeon located not far outside of the city. We can probably expect plenty of steel, ground and rock-types."

Salandit gave her two compatriots a hard gaze.

"I need the two of you to take this seriously - there's potentially a life on the line here."

Saurton glanced at the ground sheepishly, feeling thoroughly chastised. Henry, on the other hand, was feeling rather irked at this comment.

"Hang on." He said indignantly, "You just got told off by Flygon for playing the fool, why are you now lecturing us on it?"

Salandit opened her mouth to retort, before closing it and shooting Henry a dangerous glare.

"You got me there." She admitted, "Or you would have, except Flygon also made me your superior for this mission - superiors get to tell their underlings what to do."

She gave Henry a smug smirk.

"Of course, if you have any problems with that, I can always report your insubordination to Flygon?"

That shut Henry up, although he made a point to think angry thoughts and insults as hard as he could in the poison-type's direction.

"I didn't think so." Salandit said with a false sweetness, "Let's go then. I'll teach you how to properly stock up for a job."

With that, the lizard led Team Saviours out of the guild and into town.

* * *

The Kecleon Shop was at the peak of its late morning rush, as the trio of rescuers arrived in Pokemon Plaza. There were dozens of Pokemon crowded around the store front, all jostling and pushing to get to the front of the queue.

Salandit looked at the enormous crowd, her face morphing into a disgusted grimace.

"This is why you should always stock up either late at night or super early in the morning, before the morning briefing." She explained to the two rookies, "I'll go and grab a couple of things for the lot of us - you chaps just wait here."

Without even waiting for any sort of acknowledgement, the lizard disappeared into the bustling rabble of Pokemon.

Henry and Saurton stared blankly as they watched her leave.

"I don't like her already." Henry stated matter-of-factly, as soon as the poison-type was out of sight - Saurton nodding sourly in agreement. "Still, if we're only with her for a single day, then I guess we should just suck it up and get on with the job."

He sighed resignedly and Saurton nudged him gently.

"Hey." The grass-type said kindly, "Don't let her get to you. She's probably playing up to a character just to get on our nerves."

Henry nodded, still miffed at the lizard's attitude and together the two members of Team Saviours waited patiently in complete silence - the busy throng of Pokemon in the plaza paying them no mind.

Soon enough, Salandit returned from the Kecleon shop, carrying a small pouch in her mouth. She spat it out at Saurton's feet.

"Sling that in your satchel." She instructed the grass-type, "You'll be our item carrier. Don't lose them."

Saurton took the pouch and placed it carefully away in his bag.

"What's this?" He queried.

"That's our shopping." Salandit explained, "An oran berry each, a heal seed for Mudkip - just in case - a max elixir and an escape orb."

Salandit shot her two companions a toothy grin.

"I heard that you guys have your own food, so we'll be sharing that between us."

Henry and Saurton frowned slightly. Although it was true that they still had food from Chansey, they'd rather hoped to keep it to themselves.

"So what do all these things do then?" Henry asked, receiving a pair of bewildered looks from his partners.

The Mudkip turned a deep shade of navy.

"I mean- um…"

Henry was saved from his floundering by Saurton, who patiently explained each item.

"Well oran berries are really good at healing wounds, so we'll need them in case we get hurt." The grass-type explained, "Heal seeds stop the effects of poison, paralysis, burns and even sleep. If you're even just feeling unwell, a heal seed can really help you recover."

Saurton glanced between himself and Salandit.

"Of course Salandit and I are both immune to poison, so I'm guessing this seed is mostly for you."

Saurton shook his head and continued.

"Drinking a max elixir gives you a burst of energy, they're really tasty and addictive…"

Saurton trailed off for a second, drooling slightly at the thought of the drink before he was snapped back to attention by a nudge from Salandit.

"Um, anyway!" Saurton exclaimed, clearly abashed, "That's all I know. I have no idea what this orb thingy does."

"Jolly good!" Salandit praised happily, "Now an escape orb is a weird thing. They contain some kind of bizarre psychic energy - I don't entirely know how they work or how they're made."

The lizard shook her head.

"None of that matters. What matters is that these things will teleport everyone in a certain radius of them out of a mystery dungeon and back to the guild." Salandit gave the members of Team Saviours a hard look. "This is a single-use emergency item. If we can avoid using it, we should - they aren't cheap."

Henry and Saurton nodded understandingly, before Henry had a quiet realisation.

"Hang on." He started, "How did you pay for all this?"

The Mudkip paled slightly.

"We don't owe you any money, do we?"

Salandit let out a long, slightly jeering laugh.

"The guild covers bills for supplies." She explained, "Fifty Poke per difficulty rank. Since this is a 'D' ranked job, the guild will cover supplies up to one hundred Poke - so long as you can give the receipt to Volbeat or Illumise."

The lizard shot Henry a condescending look.

"That's something that _everyone_ knows, I'm very surprised that you don't."

Salandit turned and started to walk out of the town, gesturing Team Saviours to follow her.

"You owe me eighty Poke." Salandit added finally, giving the two Pokemon a wink. "Escape orbs aren't cheap."

Thus the trio of Pokemon headed out on their mission, Henry silently uttering a string of profanities towards the toxic lizard.

* * *

Ferrite Cavern was only a short distance outside of Hope Village - small and unremarkable, a large sign warning of a mystery dungeon was the only indication that this hole in the ground was anything special.

"Well here we are, chaps." Salandit said proudly, as the three Pokemon approached the cave. "Let's find Gulpin and get out of here."

"Hang on." Henry interrupted, confusion clear on his features, "How come the Haunted Grove was so obvious, but this dungeon is just a hole in the ground?"

"You really are dumb, aren't you?" Salandit said with a snigger, "The mystery dungeon actually starts several feet underground, this is just the entrance to the cave which contains Ferrite Cavern."

Salandit shook her head and gave an exaggerated sigh.

"They just keep lowering the standards to join the guild, it's sad really."

Henry twitched, his ire with the toxic lizard growing even greater. Luckily Saurton stepped in before any confrontation could occur.

"So what's the plan then, Salandit?" He asked pleasantly, shooting his partner a warning glance.

Salandit peered into the cave entrance.

"I suppose we go in and have a look around." She said slowly, "If Gulpin's there, we find them and bring them out safely. If Gulpin isn't there, it's a failure."

Salandit started carefully making her way down into the ground.

"Either way, let's go."

With that the lizard disappeared into the earth, Henry and Saurton giving each other a resolute nod before following behind.

The inside of the cave was dark and dreary, with the only source of light being the lantern from Team Saviour's room - now clutched firmly at the end of a vine - which Saurton had apparently had the foresight to pack without Henry noticing.

"So as we approach the mystery dungeon itself, you can start to notice the telltale signs of something being off." Salandit explained, gesturing to a spot on the wall with her tail. "Here you can see that the rock formation is warped and twisted."

Henry and Saurton looked closely at the wall, and sure enough, the earth seemed to twist and fold in on itself in a way which shouldn't have been possible.

"This is nuts…" Henry muttered to himself, "What could have possibly caused this to happen?"

Salandit shrugged.

"People have all sorts of theories." She responded, "From battling legendaries causing the world to lose balance, to an unknown Pokemon creating them. Nobody really knows for sure."

The lizard turned her attention forwards again.

"Here we are." She stated, stopping firmly in her tracks. "You can see the beginning of Ferrite Cavern here."

Salandit pointed to the ground, where the soil and rock underfoot seemed to abruptly change in a single straight line across the ground, turning a much darker shade. All of a sudden the lantern's light seemed to collide with an invisible barrier, completely failing to illuminate any further into the cavern.

"Right." Salandit turned to her two companions, a serious expression on her face. "I'm going to be relying on the two of you if we get into any scraps down there - fire and poison don't do much damage to the types of Pokemon we can expect to face."

Saurton and Henry nodded stoutly - the Bulbasaur trying to shake off his pounding headache and focus.

"Okay then, if you chaps are ready, let's go."

With that, the group crossed the threshold into the danger of the mystery dungeon.

* * *

**Ferrite Cavern BF1:**

As Team Saviours and Salandit entered Ferrite Cavern, the cave seemed to pulse and hum around them. It almost appeared to constrict and narrow - making all three suddenly very claustrophobic.

The trio started to head forwards into the dungeon, the path ahead stretching far out into the darkness, and changing from a gentle downwards slope into a quite a level trail. The cave suddenly opened up into a small room, with two other passageways deviating off of it - one stretching left, the other stretching right.

"Okay you two, lesson time. " Salandit started, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Mystery dungeons are categorised based on how far each one stretches before the environment becomes normal again. For underground dungeons, they break into several layers - or floors."

The lizard glanced cautiously around the cavern.

"Although the layer of each floor will be different each time you enter the dungeon, the total number of floors always remains the same." Salandit explained, "We need to keep an eye out for a means to descend - a stairway or passageway that goes downwards. According to the sign outside, this dungeon has five floors. I'm guessing that - if Gulpin is here - they're trapped in the normal area just beyond the dungeon, unable to get back."

Team Saviours nodded, just barely managing to absorb the information that had been presented to them.

"Now which way should we go…"

Salandit mused to herself quietly, before a loud roar echoed from the passageway to the left.

"Right it is!" Salandit said happily, "Let's go!"

Together the three Pokemon quickly scurried into the less threatening tunnel, not keen to encounter whatever had made that intimidating noise.

The new passageway also opened up into a wide room - this one without any new corridors branching off of it. A small rock sat in the centre of the chamber - it had two bulky arms and was eying the rescuers angrily.

"Watch out." Salandit muttered, "That Geodude looks like it wants a piece of us."

As though the feral stone could somehow understand the toxic lizard's words, the Geodude suddenly tucked its arms up against its sides and started barreling towards the trio, who immediately scattered out of the way of the rock's attack.

Saurton tried using his one free vine to grab the rock-type, however he was unable to get a purchase on the attacker, who spun around and charged towards the grass-type even faster than before.

Saurton barely had time to register his failure, before the Geodude collided with him and set the seed Pokemon sprawling.

As Saurton was flung painfully into the wall, the Geodude had turned and sent its rapidly accelerating form towards Henry.

Henry braced himself, and prepared for the unpleasant sensation of firing water at the rock.

…

Only instead of the usual high-pressured torrent that normally came, a low-powered stream of water was fired - quickly reducing to a trickle and not slowing the Geodude in the slightest.

Henry's eyes widened, as he too was thrown violently to the ground. The Geodude turned - somehow still gaining speed - and hurled itself towards the last standing member of the group.

Salandit kept her eyes firmly focused on the swiftly approaching boulder, her face locked in tight concentration. Just as the Geodude was about to collide with her, the lizard threw herself to the side, demonstrating a surprising amount of agility.

As the Geodude careened past, Salandit blasted it with a wave of hot flames, causing it to spin out of control and impact harshly with the wall. The toxic lizard refused to let up her advantage, burning the stricken Pokemon badly until it was no longer able to move.

With the immediate danger taken care of, Salandit turned to check on her partners, only to find a sorry sight indeed. Saurton was standing weakly, leaning up against the wall to support his weight. Henry, on the other hand, was lying in a twitching, painful heap - a small amount of blue blood trickling down the side of his face.

Salandit let out a disappointed sigh, shaking her head sadly at the poor performance of Team Saviours, before swiftly marching over to Saurton and snatching his satchel in her teeth.

"H-Hey!" The grass-type protested weakly, "That's mine, you can't take it!"

Saurton's complaining was cut short as Salandit shoved an oran berry into his maw, before rushing over to check on the injured Mudkip.

Henry was in a world of pain. He felt as though he hadn't been in this much agony since the time he was in a car crash.

" _For the love of all that is holy, what's a car?"_ He thought bitterly to himself, as he struggled to open his eyes. _"This is the second time I've had to ask myself this question. Maybe Saurton would know?"_

Henry was snapped out of his internal monologue by the sensation of something large and round being forced into his mouth. Startled, Henry quickly bit down on the oran berry, allowing a delicious taste to permeate his mouth and numbing the pain he felt.

Henry warily opened his eyes, revealing the concerned faces of Saurton and Salandit staring down at him.

Saurton let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank Arceus you're alright!" The grass-type exclaimed, "You had me seriously worried."

Henry just munched happily on the rest of the berry, letting its pain-killing effects wash over his body.

"Right." Salandit suddenly stated, anger quite clear in her voice, "Would you mind telling me _exactly_ what that pathetic excuse for a water gun was?!"

Henry paled, the sudden hostility catching him off guard.

"I-Uh…" He spluttered, desperately fumbling his own words.

Salandit just glared at him.

"Its never done that before." The Mudkip finally managed to squeak, failing to alleviate Salandit's rage in the slightest.

"That's all well and good." She all but shouted, "But I just had to save the two of you from Geodude." She shot the two members of Team Saviours a venomous gaze, "THAT'S A ROCK AND GROUND-TYPE POKEMON! I'M WEAK TO THEM, YOU'RE STRONG AGAINST THEM. WHY DID I HAVE TO SAVE THE TWO OF YOU?!"

Henry and Saurton looked at the ground shamefully.

"Arceus almighty…" Salandit muttered to herself, shaking her head in disappointment. "We've got a Pokemon to save. Come on."

With that, Salandit quickly headed out of the room, not bothering to make sure that Team Saviours were following behind.

Henry and Saurton shot each other a sorry glance, before quickly following behind the toxic lizard and continuing through the dungeon.

* * *

**Ferrite Cavern BF3:**

The trio had managed to locate the stairs without much further incident, and the next floor had been equally uneventful. Salandit had refused to talk to the members of Team Saviours for the entirety of their journey, until they all found themselves at the opening of another room. This one was incredibly large and contained a pair of Aron who were munching happily on a small patch of the ground.

Unfortunately for the three rescuers, the two steel-types were sat directly above what appeared to be the way down to the next floor.

"Right, Mudkip." Salandit started frostily, "Can you actually use water gun, or are you just useless?"

Henry frowned, willing himself to summon the powerful watery jet, only for a mere dribble to come out his mouth, which he quickly pawed away until his mouth was bone dry.

Salandit rolled her eyes.

"Useless it is." She stated, vitriol clear in her voice, before she turned to Saurton. "Give him the lamp, you'll need both of your vines for this fight - all Mudkip's good for is being a light carrier."

Saurton frowned slightly, although he handed the lantern to Henry, who took it in his mouth.

"Okay, Bulbasaur." Salandit started, "We'll handle these two."

Together she and Saurton prepared to pounce on the two steel-types, only for their plans to be cut short by the entrance of a very tired and sorry looking Pokemon from the opposite end of the room.

The creature was a small green blob, with a small set of hands extending from its body. It had a large black diamond pattern on its back, and a single yellow feather extending from the top of its head.

There was no mistaking it, this was Gulpin for sure.

Team Saviours and Salandit watched in shock as the stomach Pokemon crawled slowly out into the centre of the room, where it was noticed by the pair Aron, who immediately turned to face it.

"Alright chaps, I think that's our client." Salandit whispered to her companions, "Bulbasaur, you and I will each handle one of the steel-types. Mudkip, give us light and try not to get in the way."

She shot Henry a condescending smirk, before the trio headed into the room, eager not to allow any harm to befall the Gulpin.

Together, the trio snuck up behind the pair of unsuspecting steel Pokemon, before Saurton and Salandit each launched a pair of devastating attacks, defeating the Aron almost immediately.

"There we are!" Salandit said proudly, walking towards the fearful Gulpin, "Don't worry, we're a rescue team."

"Ah… Yes I feared this may happen." Gulpin said, a whimper in its voice. "See I really rather didn't want anyone to find me."

The stomach Pokemon glanced around, before dropping its voice to little more than a whisper.

"I'm rather in a spot of financial bother, you see." The poison-type explained, "I'm in trouble with quite a powerful Pokemon - I owe them a lot of money."

"What do you mean?" Salandit asked, confusion creeping its way across her face, "Is someone trying to hurt you?"

Gulpin nodded fearfully.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. It's my own fault really." Gulpin explained, wringing its hands together in worry. "You should get out of here, if you're found with me you won't be spared either."

"Don't worry about it, you're safe with us." Saurton reassured the frightened Pokemon, "We're a rescue team, it's our job to look after you."

Suddenly a roar echoed from the tunnel which Gulpin had emerged from, causing the blob to fly into a panic.

"It's too late!" The stomach Pokemon wailed, "We're all done for!"

As the poison-type goop lost its mind, all other eyes turned to the passageway which the noise had emanated from, where a shadow could be seen swiftly approaching in the lantern's light.

Out from the darkness it came, an enormous beast, easily towering many times the height of any other Pokemon in the room - in fact it was easily taller than each of the other Pokemon stacked on top of each other.

The creature was a brilliant orange quadruped with several black stripes running their way across its body, while its face and tail were covered in a thick mane of cream-coloured fur. The beast had a large set of fangs, which it showed off in a mocking yawn as it approached the foursome.

"Why, Gulpin." Arcanine said in a friendly tone, as it leisurely walked towards the frightened group, "I see you made some new friends."

The dog shot them all a happy smile.

"Pleasure to meet you."

The trio of rescuers shrank back in fear, the fire-type giving off an incredibly intimidating aura.

"A-Arcanine!" Gulpin managed to splutter, looking like it was going to explode from fright, "W-wha-what a s-s-surp-prise t-to see you here."

Arcanine shot the poison-type a smile.

"How lovely to see you again, Gulpin." The fiery hound said politely, "As I recall, you owe me some money - you must have forgotten and accidentally ended up running away and hiding in this cave."

Arcanine turned to the cowering trio of Team Saviours and Salandit.

"Are you a rescue team?" He asked kindly, receiving a couple of shaky nods in return. "Great! If you hand me your job request, I'll sign it right away."

The three Pokemon shot the fire-type a blank look, causing him to let out a sigh.

"Your job request." He patiently explained, "I put out the request to rescue Gulpin, if you hand me your request I'll sign it and you three can go on your way."

Saurton fished the document from his satchel and looked over it. Sure enough, the mission client was listed as Arcanine.

He looked up at the beaming dog.

"What are you going to do to Gulpin?" The grass-type managed to ask, sounding a lot braver than he felt. "You aren't going to hurt them, are you?"

Arcanine let out a barking laugh.

"Dear me, Bulbasaur. Those sorts of questions are well above your pay-grade."

The beast suddenly bared its fangs, all traces of friendliness having vanished in an instant.

"Do I have to kill one Pokemon or four?"

The three rescuers gulped fearfully, but the three of them stood defiantly in a protective circle around Gulpin.

Arcanine shook his head sadly.

"Then so be it, don't say I didn't war-"

"ESCAPE ORB! NOW!"

The fire-type barely had time to blink before his quarry disappeared in a bright flash of light, reappearing in a heap at the centre of the main courtyard, much to the surprise of the Pokemon around them.

"Well that happened." Salandit said dryly, as she shakily rose to her feet. "I guess it wasn't a complete failure though - other than everything you did, Mudkip."

Henry cringed, still gripping the lantern tightly in his mouth.

"Ah, I must thank you for saving me." Gulpin spoke up, "Though if you don't mind my asking, how was it that Mudkip failed so badly?"

Salandit shot a glare at the offending water-type, before answering.

"He can't fire water." She said curtly, "Even the weakest water Pokemon can fire water. It's pathetic."

"Hey, It's not my fault!" Henry protested, spitting the lamp out onto the ground, "This is the first time it's ever done this!"

Gulpin looked between the two arguing Pokemon.

"If you don't mind my asking, Mudkip, have you had anything to drink lately?"

Henry and Salandit paused their bickering, turning to look at the poison-type with puzzled expressions.

"I can use water pulse." Gulpin explained, firing a small ring of water into the sky as a demonstration. "I have to be well hydrated though, otherwise I can't produce anything."

Gulpin looked happily at the two Pokemon, expecting them to be satisfied with its answer - only to find two baffled faces looking back.

"I heard that a lot of water Pokemon have special organs which can store large amounts of water, allowing them much greater use of the liquid than I." Gulpin patiently explained, "This organ can also keep you going for several days without drinking, so I'm told. Truly a remarkable thing."

Salandit gave Henry a harsh look.

"Well, Mudkip?" She asked, "When did you last drink something?"

Henry flushed, looking at the ground in embarrassment.

"I don't like water…" He mumbled.

Salandit walked towards Henry, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that please? I didn't quite catch what you said, you slimy little, pathetic excuse for a-"

"I SAID I DON'T LIKE WATER!" Henry yelled, standing tall and looking Salandit directly in the eyes, "And you know what, I don't like you either. You've been nothing but rude and dismissive of me all day and I'm sick of it."

Salandit reeled back, stunned at the outburst from the quiet water-type.

Henry shot her a murderous glare before heading away to the guild barracks, leaving three shocked Pokemon awkwardly behind him.

He stumbled into Team Saviours' room, quickly falling into a heap on his bed of straw and wallowing in his own self pity.

" _Stupid Salandit."_ He thought sourly, _"Thinks she's better than me just because she's actually good at fighting."_

Henry huffed, before burying his head in the hay.

" _Why do I have to be a water Pokemon?"_ He lamented sadly, _"I wish I was anything else."_

Henry was broken out of his mournful musings by Saurton entering the room.

"Hey Henry." The grass-type started tentatively, "Salandit's taken Gulpin to go and see Flygon and explain what happened with the mission. We're free for the rest of the day now."

Henry looked up at his partner, barely containing a flood of tears.

"I'm really sorry, Saurton." He muttered quietly, "I didn't mean to embarrass us today."

Saurton sighed, before heading over and sitting comfortably next to his friend.

"Don't worry about it." The Bulbasaur said kindly, "You don't have any memories, I don't think you can be expected to know exactly how your body works either."

Henry's fins drooped sadly, before he suddenly remembered something.

"Saurton?" He slowly asked, "What's a car?"

Saurton looked at the Mudkip in confusion.

"I don't know…?" He answered unsurely, "Why do you ask?"

Henry sagged again, disappointed by the lack of an answer.

"I don't know." He said dejectedly, "I just remember them being incredibly painful, is all."

Saurton shot his partner a big grin, nudging him encouragingly.

"That's brilliant!" The grass-type exclaimed happily, "Even if it's only small, that's a little clue about your past!"

The corner's of Henry's mouth started to twitch upwards - Saurton's infectious cheerfulness spreading to him.

"Thank you, Saurton." He said tiredly.

"What for?"

"For being you."

Saurton gave a big smile at those words, and the two Pokemon sat in silence for a moment, until there was a slight knock at the door, followed by a sheet of paper being slipped underneath the crack at the bottom.

The duo looked at the note perplexedly, before Saurton reached over and grabbed it with his vines.

"It's for you." The grass-type muttered, giving a quick glance over the various unintelligible footprint symbols, "Would you like me to read it?"

Henry nodded, his curiosity piqued.

Saurton cleared his throat and began to read:

' _Hello Henry.'_ The note began, _'I would like to apologise for my harsh treatment of you today. Flygon explained your circumstances to me, which made everything a lot clearer._

_Gulpin is safe and sound, and Arcanine has been registered as an outlaw. The guild covered all of our bills for this mission, so don't worry about the money you owe me._

_I also really don't like water - it messes with the fire in my system and makes me feel gross. I can understand the fear of it, even if I can't understand why you specifically are so scared. I got around this hatred by drinking a lot of smoothies; they're far enough removed from water that they don't mess with me, and Machoke will make them for free if you ask nicely, so that could be a way of hydrating without drinking water._

_I'm sorry again for making you so upset, I'm sure you'll improve._

_-Salandit '_

Saurton stopped, the letter having finished.

"I bet Flygon made her write this." The grass-type said irritably.

Henry nodded, before shrugging slightly.

"Still, it's a nice gesture." The Mudkip said neutrally, before stretching out and getting to his feet. "Do you want to go and try one of those smoothies she mentioned? I'm pretty hungry anyway - I could use a visit to Machoke."

Saurton smiled happily, glad to see that his friend had cheered up.

"Let's go."

Together the two partners headed off to the cafeteria, where they spent the remainder of the day.

* * *

"So, my dear fellows, how was your… _pleasant outing…_ in the Haunted Grove?"

Cofagrigus' silky smooth voice echoed throughout the crypt it called home, its bright white smile seeming to glow unnaturally in the darkness of the tomb and making the two Pokemon who were visiting it cringe in terror - Gastly and Honedge were bowing down in front of the evil sarcophagus, shaking in fright.

"My Lord…" Gastly spluttered, "I'm afraid it was a failure. We were defeated by two Pokemon who came to stop us."

A silence fell throughout the room - the temperature seeming to drop several degrees.

"I'm so sorry." Cofagrigus stated, a smile creeping its way into their voice, "I almost thought I heard you say you failed for a moment." The coffin leered over the two smaller ghosts, extending its shadowy hands threateningly. "Of course that _can't_ be true, considering your task was merely to find and kill normal-types - who are incapable of fighting back against you."

Gastly and Honedge quivered, not daring to make eye contact with the powerful spirit.

"It is true, my Lord." Honedge stated frightenedly, "A Bulbasaur and a Mudkip came and attacked us. We were overconfident and so we lost."

The air once again grew still - Cofagrigus pausing and contemplating the information that it had been given, before it started chuckling softly.

"Bulbasaur and Mudkip…" The golden casket muttered, folding its four arms in quiet musing, "Curious… Very curious indeed."

Silence once again permeated the crypt, the two weaker ghosts not daring to break their superior's concentration.

"Ah, I suppose I could let the two of you off the hook just this once." Cofagrigus smiled warmly down at the pair of terrified ghosts, "Though if you _ever_ manage to fail me again, you'll experience torture so severe and profound that it'll make you beg for death."

Cofagrigus clapped its hands together in a patronising manner.

"I do hope you take my warning to heart. It would be… _such a shame…_ to lose a pair as hardworking as yourselves."

Gastly and Honedge did their best to nod enthusiastically.

"Of course, my Lord." They both spluttered.

Cofagrigus let out a long, mocking laugh.

"Good, good. Now I have a little task for you to do, something to redeem yourselves…"

The coffin began to explain the details of a fiendish plan to its underlings, as the night faded into daybreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter. I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far.
> 
> This one was a bit of a mess to write - yesterday morning it sat at just over 2k words, this evening it sits at just over 6k. I found myself fighting over a lot of different ideas with how to approach this mission, and settled on one which I think (hope) works well.
> 
> Overall I'm not especially happy with the quality of what I've written, but hopefully some of you will enjoy it.
> 
> Stay safe
> 
> \- Candlewick


End file.
